Under Pretense
by darveyswhiskey
Summary: Having recently made up with his mom, Harvey asks Donna to spend Christmas weekend at his brother's in Boston. The catch? He accidentally lied and told him he was seeing someone. What happens when he asks Donna to be his fake girlfriend and they have to act like a couple?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone, I'm happy to be back with my first multi chapter fic. I had originally planned to post this sometime before Christmas, but I didn't have the time to do so and I wanted to give it the proper attention it deserved. This story takes place after Harvey made up with his mother, but before he goes back to Paula/Donna tells him she wants something more.**

 **I want to dedicate this story to Etty and Michelle, who were my biggest cheerleaders while I was writing this, and who continue to keep me sane and happy every single day. Life wouldn't be the same without our endless convos. I love you guys xoxox**

 **And to the rest of the darvey fandom, you guys have been amazing with all of your endless support. I hope this story helps ease the pain of this never-ending hiatus. Enjoy! -ali**

…

His finger hovers over the intercom, trepidation written all over him as he expels another sigh and he places his hand down. Harvey found himself in a rare predicament, one hardly seen by himself or anyone else for that matter. Harvey Specter was _nervous_ and there was only one reason- one person- for his current state of anxiety.

"Don-" half of her name falls from his lips before he scares himself out of finishing his sentence, but it's too late before he realizes she heard him.

"You need something, Harvey?" Her voice is clipped and professional as it booms over his speaker, and he filters out another breath before replying.

 _It's now or never, Specter._

"Donna, could you come in here for a minute?"

Her form appears before him in less than ten seconds, burgundy dress hugging her close, loose copper waves cascading below her shoulders as she stands just inside of his office, like she's done countless times before. She gives him a warm smile and he tries to tamper the rapid beating of his heart as her gaze bores into his own.

"You need something?"

His smile slightly falters when he remembers what he has to ask her, and he wills himself to get it together lest he crumble under her stare. Clearing his throat, he swivels his chair around to pull himself up, walking around his desk to lean against it, needing something to ground him.

"Um, yeah, well, I actually, uh I need a… favor," she fixes him with an amused look, her head tilting to the side as she steps further inside his office, closing the door behind her.

"A favor…" Donna repeats his words, patiently waiting for him to finish his thought.

"Yeah, so, you know my brother?" He looks like he could very well pass out in that moment and she has to stifle a laugh at the rare sight of a flustered and nervous Harvey in front of her.

"Marcus, yeah, yeah I believe I do." She sends him another amused look, this time coupled with one of confusion. While she's never actually met his younger brother, she's heard more than her fair share of stories on the other Specter.

Harvey lets out another sigh, his demeanor deflating as he pushes himself off his desk, moving to stand a little closer to his secretary. "Okay, before I- say anything else, just know that I was caught off guard, and I know this is totally last minute, so I understand if you can't- do this, but…"

"Harvey what the hell is going on?" Her arms cross then, and as entertaining as it was to watch a fidgeting Harvey Specter, her patience was starting to wear thin.

"I need you to… come with me when I go to Boston next week."

Donna furrows her eyebrows, her confusion growing ten-fold at his words, "Boston?"

Harvey nods, "Yeah, uh, Marcus is throwing this- I don't know, little Christmas Eve shindig with his wife, and we'd uh, we'd stay until Christmas." He gives her a sheepish smile, hoping it would somehow ease the crease on her forehead.

" _We?"_

"Well, yeah, I'm inviting you."

"To your brother's Christmas shindig?" She echoes his words, trying to make clear of the situation.

Harvey nods.

"Oh, well, I-"

"I know this is totally last minute, and I understand if you already have plans, but genius that is my brother, only told me earlier today, and well…"

"You want me to go with you to your family's Christmas?" Her voice grows softer now, still trying to reign in some clarity out of his words, _his very out of the blue invitation_.

Harvey sends her a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes and suddenly, she's tilting her head at him, hands splayed on her hips as she sends him a knowing look. "Okay, what's the catch?"

Harvey nearly stutters, "The- catch?"

She nods, both eyebrows raised as she takes a step closer to him, an intimidating tactic that seems to be working its magic.

"What makes you think there's a catch?" Harvey half scoffs, earning him another glare from his favorite redhead.

"I'm Donna, I know," she gives him her signature line, taking a beat before continuing, "And I know _you,_ and you keep stuttering your words, which you never do, and your tie has been loosened which tells me you've been fidgeting with it since the last time we talked, _so,_ spill it, Specter. Why do I really need to go with you to Boston next week?"

Harvey's mouth falls open, but no words come out. He knew he shouldn't be surprised with the way she could read him like an open book, especially not after twelve years of working together. And yet…

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend," he expels in one breath.

" _You need me to do_ _ **what**_ _?"_

Her high screeched voice makes him wince, and he subconsciously takes a step back, "Wait, Donna listen-"

"What the hell kind of favor is this, Harvey?" Her eyes are wide as saucers as she stares at him, mouth agape and posture straight as her eyes shoot daggers his way.

"You have to understand," Harvey puts his hands up in near defense, "Marcus… he was baiting me, okay?" He grits his teeth at the memory. He loved his brother, he really did, but the younger jackass could really get a rise out of him whenever he wanted.

"Oh, this better be good," she demands on a dry laugh, standing her ground as she silently wills him to continue explaining, wills the sudden rapid beating of her heart to settle.

"He called to ask me to go to this little- party thing or whatever it is. I've never gone before, because well, my mom-" When Donna nods, her eyes softening just a bit at his words, he continues, "but this year, well, we're talking again and since she'll be there and we've- made up, he wants me to go."

Donna nods only in half understanding before shaking her head, "I still don't understand how I fit into this. Why we have to pretend to be-" Her voice trails off, somehow not being able to say _together._

" _Because,"_ Harvey exhales, frustration boiling to the surface, "He kept messing with me, berating me about when I was going to settle down, bring a- date over, all that crap. And normally, it doesn't bother me, but this time…" he shakes his head at the memory, "And I just snapped, I told him he was being a dick for no reason because I _did_ have a girlfriend. And now he's expecting me to bring someone," he finishes on a low tone, his eyes dropping to his feet before glancing up to see her own stare still on his.

"So… can't you take someone else?"

Harvey's shoulders slump at her words, "Someone else?"

"Yeah, don't you have a line of girls waiting for you to take and pretend to be your arm candy for a few days?" Donna shrugs nonchalantly.

"I- I don't want to take someone else," he tells her with a confidence that juxtaposes his earlier nerve-wracked words. Donna visibly deflates at his admission, and he takes advantage of her low defense to spew out his next confession, "Plus… I may have told him it was you."

He winces in anticipation for her screech of surprise, but it never comes. He takes his time to study her, arms now crossed over herself again, a mixture of emotions he can't quite decipher dancing in her eyes.

"Why?" She asks him instead, her voice surprisingly steady.

"Why-?"

"Why _me_?" She takes a step closer to him again, standing her ground as best she could with her heart currently in her throat, her palms growing sweaty for reasons she tries hard to sweep under the rug in her mind.

"I- you're _Donna,"_ he tells her by way of an answer, as if that was all the clarification she needed.

She tilts her head in that way that lets him know it _wasn't_ a suffice explanation, "Is it because I'm sitting right there in front of you and naturally my name was the first to pop into your mind?" She points behind her to her desk, quirking an eyebrow at him as she waits for his answer.

Harvey shakes his head, "Even if you weren't sitting right in front of me, I still would've said your name," he tells her in an all-too soft tone that makes her hair stand on end and knees buckle, but she locks her legs in place, not once wavering under his gaze or words.

When she doesn't respond, he continues, "Donna, like you said, you _know_ me. You know my history and all my personal shit with my family. You- helped mend what I now have with my mom, of course you were the first person to come to mind."

Donna chews on her lip then, weighing in the pros and cons of this situation, knowing full well they could be venturing into dangerous territory. "Pretend to be your girlfriend?" She inquires again, her eyebrows raised in half annoyance.

Harvey's lips twitch at the look she gives him, "Just for a few days. You come with me, we- pretend to be- a couple," he struggles to get out, "and then we're back to work on Monday. Same as before."

She continues to stare at him, trying to get a read on the way his demeanor keeps shifting to one of confidence to one riddled with anxiety as he waits for her answer. Finally, she lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes, " _Fine,_ we both know I'm going to give in eventually. Might as well agree now," she mumbles.

Harvey gapes at her, "You're- serious? You'll do it?"

Donna nods, her lips twisting at his sudden surprise, "So help me God, but yeah, I'll do it."

Harvey sighs, letting his own lips curl up, "Thank you Donna, you-"

"On one condition," she puts her hand up, her eyes suddenly glinting and now he's fixing her with his own stare, somehow having anticipated this.

"What do you want, Donna?"

"I- you know, I haven't decided yet. I'm going to milk this for all it's worth," she smirks at him, turning around to head back to her cubicle, "but know that you owe me _big time."_ She points a finger at him in a warning and a promise, waiting for him to nod in understanding before exiting his office.

Harvey lets out another sigh, trying to shake off as much pent up anxiety he had left. He watches his secretary sitting down on her chair, sending him another half-amused look before getting back to work. He shakes his head then, admiring her uncanny ability to dive right back into her work, and he walks over his desk to try and do the same.

But for all Harvey Specter thought he knew, he was completely unaware of the way his current secretary's own hands hovered over her keyboard- unable to render in a state of calm or focus, the idea of having to pretend to be her boss and best friend's girlfriend making her hair stand on end and heart stay in her throat.

…

"Would you stop fidgeting with that already?" He gives her a side glare, trying to keep his main focus on the road.

Donna huffs, switching the radio station one more time before shutting it off completely. "Your car has no good tunes," she berates as she slumps back against the leather seat, crossing her arms.

"I don't think my car is responsible for what _tunes_ get played," Harvey offers with an amused curl of his lips. They remain in silence for a while, with Harvey switching his attention from the road again, to his slightly disgruntled friend sitting next to him, a thought suddenly coming to him, "Are you- nervous?"

Her eyes shoot wide open at his words, light red hair swinging to the side dramatically as she straightens, "Why would you say that?"

Harvey shrugs, "You haven't said much since leaving the city and you're _never_ this quiet." When she doesn't respond, he glances to her again, his eyebrows furrowing in concern, "Hey, it's going to be fine. It's just three days of ridiculous Christmas festivities, even though you packed for like ten," he mumbles the last part.

"I'm not nervous," she defends at last, ignoring the jab he throws her way.

" _Bullshit."_

"I'm not, I'm just- pondering."

"Pondering…"

Donna nods, "Yeah, pondering how… okay, fine, I'm nervous."

Harvey smirks, watching her pouting in the corner of his eye. "I can't believe _you're_ nervous about this."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means… _I'm_ the one who should be nervous. You should be the one holding it together and telling me to suck it up and pull my shit together."

Donna stays quiet for a moment, watching him watching the road, his jaw set in concentration, or out of hidden anxiety. Finally, she heaves out a sigh, shifting in her seat, "For the first time- I don't know what to expect."

He glances at her for a second, "What do you mean?"

"It means, outside of your dad," she pauses for a beat, gauging how he blinks back a few times, "I never met anyone from your family. I _know about_ them, but I don't _know them."_

Harvey lets out his own sigh, tightening his hands on the wheel, "You'll be fine," he reassures quietly, "Marcus… well he can be a dick, but he's harmless, mostly," they share a chuckle before he continues, "his wife is about as kind as you can imagine a person to be, and I don't really know her parents very well, but they're pretty nice, I guess. And their kids- Hailey and Jack, well, they're pretty great."

"Wow, uncle Harvey's popular with the kids, isn't he?" Donna teases, her heart warming at the thought of him interacting with his niece and nephew.

"I don't know about _popular,_ I don't get to see them a lot, but, yeah, they seem to like me for some reason," he sends her a smile before his eyes shift forward again.

Donna hums in response, taking in his words before her mind shifts elsewhere, and her nerves seem to come back full force, "How about your mom?"

His smile falters just slightly, the mention of his mother still bringing on a reflexive response, "My mom… she's… I'm still trying to figure that one out," he confesses quietly.

Donna nods beside him, taking a moment to study him before speaking, "When was the last time you two talked? And by talk I don't mean her calling you to check in for five minutes, I mean, when was the last time _you_ called _her_?"

He twiddles his thumbs against the steering wheel, "Uh, last week, I think." When she gives him a pointed look he ejects a tired sigh, "Okay, maybe three weeks ago."

" _Harvey,"_

"What? I- I'm getting accustomed to this. I don't know exactly what to say to the woman, just casually starting up a conversation with her."

"I get that," Donna starts softly, "but if you really want this relationship to work, you have to put in a little more effort than just picking up the phone the times she does call."

"I know," he whispers. And he did know, because she was right, _she was always right._ He knows it in his bones that if it weren't for her, he never would've gone to see his mother to mend things, no matter what she said. "And thank you, by the way, for helping me pick out her present."

Donna smirks, the memory of their back and forth earlier in the week coming back to her. After having asked her to come join him and his family at Christmas, Harvey had spent the day mulling over what that would entail, his nerves rising at the prospect of what it meant for her to _pretend to be his girlfriend._ It wasn't until day's end that realization hit him, and he scurried out of his office to stand before her cubicle, visible anxiety coursing through him.

.

" _What do you need, Harvey," Donna asked without looking up._

" _I need- a favor."_

 _She stopped typing at his words, her eyebrow quirking, "I think you've maxed out your 'asking Donna for a favor' quota for the year."_

" _Donna, I'm serious, this is- kind of a big deal."_

 _She fixed him with a look before resigning, "I'm listening."_

" _My mom… she uh, well I've never- so this would be a first…"_

" _Harvey,"_

" _I don't know what to get her for Christmas," he expelled in one breath._

 _Her eyes softened at his words, "Oh."_

" _Yeah," he tapped his hands on top of her cubicle before patience wore thin, "so, will you help me?"_

 _Deciding to go easy on his growing apprehension, she gave him a reassuring smile, "Yeah, Harvey, I will."_

 _His grin matched hers in an instant, "Thank you, Donna."_

" _Meet me at Hermes on Saturday at nine," she called out before he could enter his office._

 _Harvey paused, furrowing his eyebrows, "You want me to buy my mom a new handbag?"_

 _She turned her head slowly toward him, giving him an annoyed look, "No, that'd be for me."_

 _._

"I'm just impressed you came up with the final decision all on your own. I merely guided you."

Harvey chuckles at the way she waves her hand in his direction in a dramatic flair, "Yeah, well, thank you," he gives her a smile before his eyes focus on the road again, his voice having grown soft.

"You're welcome," Donna echoes in the same tone. "So," she clears her throat after a beat, "what'd you get _me?"_

Harvey snorts, "I already bought you two handbags the other day, what makes you think I got you something else?"

"Because you're _you,_ and don't think I missed the way you wouldn't let me go anywhere near your suitcase."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Yes it does."

His lips thin at her words, watching from the corner of his eye how she fixes him with an amused grin, "You're ruthless, you know that?"

"I'm right, is what I am," she sasses.

"I'm sorry, by the way," Harvey adds after a moment of silence.

Donna furrows her brow, "For what?"

"I know you had plans to visit your dad this weekend." He gives her a sidelong glance, lips tightened in guilt and she felt her own heart stutter for him thinking about her.

"Harvey, it's fine. I mean, nothing was really set in stone and I'll see him sometime soon. Plus, he managed to make plans with one of his brothers, so he won't be spending it alone."

"Okay, but-"

"Shush now, I told you it was fine and it's fine," she gives him a reassuring smile, hoping to ease the wrinkle on his forehead. Harvey merely nods in response, still trying to wane the guilt away out of his system, despite her words. And it _was_ fine… having called her dad to cancel their tentative plans hadn't wracked her with the guilt she knew Harvey was currently feeling. She'd realized a long time ago that she would do anything for the man that had become her best friend.

Donna turns back to look out her window then. The sky was now streaked gray, flakes of snow starting to paint the grass white, "How much longer until we get to your brother's?"

"Uh, about two hours, give or take."

Donna nods beside him, taking a beat before speaking again, "So, what exactly is our game plan here?"

" _Game plan?"_

"Yeah, we're supposed to be a _couple._ So, we're bound to get asked questions."

Harvey shrugs, "You already know all there is to know about me and I know you better than anyone."

"No you don't," Donna laughs.

"Oh yeah? Ask me anything," he challenges.

"What's my favorite color?"

"Easy. Red."

" _No,_ that'd be _yours,_ hot shot. Try again."

"I wasn't finished. Red _used_ to be your favorite color when you were younger because you were fascinated by _The Little Mermaid,_ but now it's teal. Or turquoise. One of those two."

Her mouth hangs open at his words, "How-"

"Contrary to popular belief, I _do_ listen, you know," he gives her a smirk before facing forward again. "And how the hell did you know mine was red?"

Donna snorts, "Please, like we have to get into _that_ right now."

Harvey continues driving in silence for a while, until her voice breaks free again, "Okay, so you know my favorite color, but that wasn't what I was getting at," when he gives her a quizzical look she rolls her eyes, "We're supposed to be together. Boyfriend and girlfriend. We're going to get bombarded with questions like 'how long have you two been dating?' 'Where'd you go for your first date?' 'Who hogs the sheets more at night?"

Harvey scoffs, "They won't ask that."

" _They might,_ and what are they going to say when we give each other a confused look and we blow our cover?"

"I think _we_ already know the answer to that question," he provides quietly after a moment.

Donna gapes at him, surprised he would bring up _that time,_ "I-"

"You hogged the sheets, so, it'd be you," he states simply.

She purses her lips, "I object to that."

"We're not in court."

"I still object."

"You're impossible."

Donna gasps in faux hurt, placing a hand over her heart, "Is that any way to talk to your girlfriend?"

"Stop," he scolds, fighting to keep his lips from curling up.

"Oh, honey, now don't get mad at me," she fake cries then, dabbing at her eyes.

"As many Marni bags as you want to get you to stop right now."

Donna crosses her arms, "You're no fun."

Harvey hums in response, his lips twitching as she huffs beside him, "Okay, so what else?"

"How long have we been dating?"

His thumbs beat against the wheel, his mind trying to focus on the road whilst coming up with details to their fake relationship, "Uh, a couple of months?"

"Wow, and you're bringing me home to meet the family already. We must be pretty serious."

"What?" His head swivels in her direction, her words having caught him off guard.

"Well, we've only been dating for a couple of months, which a couple is like what? Four? Five months? We need to get specific here. If they ask you when our anniversary is, what are you going to say?"

"I-"

"Exactly. And these are the questions they're going to ask us. 'How long have you been dating? What? Four months and you're already bringing her home? Oh, it must be serious. When are you going to pop the question?'"

"Now, hold on-"

Donna continues, acting out her own dramatic interpretation of his family, "'And how many children are you going to have?' 'Have you started thinking about their possible names'?"

"Okay, wait just a second," Harvey sighs, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, "They're not really going to ask us _those_ questions."

Donna snorts out a " _ha!"_ making him purse his lips in annoyance, "Asking about our anniversary and simple dating questions is just the beginning, mister. Just you wait."

"I'm suddenly regretting this," he mumbles beside her.

His secretary smirks in response, watching his continued squirming, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

"You're feeling a lot better about this, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah," she grins, "Buckle up, Specter, it's gonna be a long ride."

Harvey groans, "Fun road trip, my ass."

…

"Remind me again why we had to leave the presents in the car?" Harvey grunts, trying to haul up his suitcase along with one of Donna's while she held her own bags.

"Because," Donna exhales once they reach the porch, "Your niece and nephew still believe in Santa Clause and we don't want to kill their Christmas spirit now do we, uncle Harvey?"

Harvey rolls his eyes, "Fine, we'll get them later, now, you ready?" He turns to face Donna, her auburn waves tainted with flecks of the snow that had fallen from their walk up the driveway. He watches her silently taking in the exterior of his brother's home- a simple two floor brick exterior with columns and a wrap-around porch.

"Yeah," she sighs, glancing at him, "How about you, pookie bear?"

"God, I so can't wait for this weekend to be over," he grunts, reaching forward to ring the doorbell. Not a full minute goes by before the mahogany door swings open, a slightly younger man appearing on the other side.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in!"

"Well, if it isn't my favorite jackass," Harvey grins, stepping up to give his brother a hug.

"Wow, he's never called me his _favorite_ anything before, you feeling okay, big brother?"

Donna laughs beside him, watching Harvey roll his eyes as he steps back from the younger Specter. She steps inside then, the aroma of freshly baked cookies mixed in with sweet pine hitting her senses immediately.

"And you must be Donna, the girl that's got my brother whipped," Marcus replies, extending his hand to the redhead.

Donna lifts her eyebrows, glancing over at Harvey who now took interest in his shoes, "Whipped, huh?"

"Well, as soon as he mentioned you over the phone, telling me he finally landed a keeper,"

" _Marcus,"_

"-my boy here couldn't stop talking about you. It was 'Donna this' and 'Donna did that' and 'wait until you see how great my Donna is'."

Donna gapes at his words, _"'My Donna?'"_

Marcus shrugs, "Okay, I may have added that part, but the rest was true. Frankly, it started getting annoying, but I thought it was cute," he reaches over to pinch Harvey's cheek, laughing when his brother swats him away.

" _Okay,_ where's everyone else? That way?" Marcus stops his brother with a hand to his chest, his smile fading slightly.

"Uh, before you go anywhere, you should know Bobby's here."

Donna glances at Harvey on reflex, her face contorting to one of worry, watching how his hands fist at his sides before relaxing again. She's standing next to him in a flash, leaving her bags by the door, "Harvey…"

"I'm okay," he reassures her with a smile before looking at his brother, "it's- it's fine, it'll be fine."

"It better be, man. Everyone should be in the kitchen, except the kids who are upstairs, but they've been looking forward to seeing their uncle _and_ grandma on Christmas, so just behave."

Harvey tilts his head at his brother, watching him giving him a look in warning, _"I'll be fine,_ and low blow, by the way, using those two against me."

Marcus smirks, turning to Donna, "Harvey's got a soft spot for kids, or at least mine. I've been nagging on him for years, asking when he's going to make me an uncle already," he claps his brother on the back, missing the way Donna's eyes widen at the words.

"So, uh," Harvey clears his throat, "where'd you say everyone was?"

Marcus chuckles, watching his brother squirming. "They're in the kitchen, why don't you two head on over there, mom's baking something with Katie, I think, and everyone else should be in the family room. I'll go take your stuff upstairs to the guest room while you go say hi to everyone." Marcus closes the door, taking hold of their suitcases and starts to head in the direction of the stairs when he pauses next to Harvey, "Play nice."

Harvey rolls his eyes at his brother's retreating form and turns back to Donna, his brows furrowing when he notices her smirking, "What?"

"So you talked about me?"

His face drops, "I, well- _I had to,_ he asked if I was bringing anyone, so yeah, I talked about you. Told him who you were…"

"You're blushing," she peeks her tongue out at him, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Am not," he quickly defends.

"Oh, fifty different shades of red, my friend. Suits you, actually." Harvey shakes his head, turning to walk in the direction of the kitchen, just past the staircase directly in eye sight from the foyer, "Hey, whoa there, mister. What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm- going to say hi to everyone."

Donna merely shakes her head, hands on her hips in disappointment, "What now?" He sighs.

"You're really going to march in there without your _girlfriend_ right by your side?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about _playing the part,_ Harvey," she chides in a whisper, taking hold of his hand, "If you're not putting in the effort, then we might as just leave now because you already suck as a fake boyfriend."

Harvey rolls his eyes, "Fine, but I draw the line at cuddling in front of my family. And pet names. And-"

"Just _go,"_ instead of waiting for him to lead the way, however, Donna grabs hold of his hand tighter, ignoring the sudden sparks she feels at his touch alone, and marches her way toward the kitchen.

"You could loosen your grip, you know?" He whispers against her ear, letting out a low squeal in surprise when she pinches his side in retaliation.

"Shut up and pretend you're actually excited to be here," she hisses through a plastered grin, the two of them finally stepping into the large white kitchen. Two pairs of eyes immediately shoot up, their eyes landing on the new guests.

"Harvey!" A woman Donna quickly identifies to be his mother drops the spatula she was holding, plastering on a grin as she rushes to stand in front of him. She hesitates for a moment before leaning to wrap her arms around him, sighing when her son hugs back.

"Hi, mom," he greets quietly. Donna smiles at the exchange, her chest warming at the sight alone.

"Oh, it's so good to see you and, oh, you must be Donna," the redhead widens her eyes when the older woman turns to her suddenly, gathering her in her arms, and she shares a look with a slightly amused Harvey.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lily," Donna warmly greets.

"And I should say the same thing. The smallest feather could've knocked me over when Marcus told me Harvey was coming, but then to learn he was bringing a girl home for Christmas, well, I think that was a surprise for everyone," she laughs.

"I certainly couldn't believe it," a petite brunette around Marcus' age rounds the large kitchen island, stepping to give Harvey a hug.

"Hey, Katie," Harvey smiles, hugging his sister-in-law, "I want you to meet Donna, Donna this is Katie, Marcus' better half."

"I heard that," his younger brother retorts, walking into the kitchen to slap his brother on the back before heading to the counter.

"Don't you dare pick up a cookie," his wife scolds, turning back to Donna with a smile, "I swear, he's worse than the kids sometimes," she rolls her eyes before extending her hand to Donna.

"Now who's whipped," Harvey mutters when he saunters up to his brother, smirking at him when he pops a cookie into his own mouth.

"I swear, it's like no time has passed. You two still acting like children," Lily shakes her head, smiling at the sudden memories that filter through her mind. The room grows quiet then, the adults exchanging awkward glances.

Donna decides to break the ice, noticing Harvey's sudden change in demeanor, "Uh, it's great to finally meet you, Katie. You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you, we bought it after Jack was born, we needed the space," the brunette walks over to the fridge to take out a bottle of white, "Wine?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, thank you," Donna accepts the glass when Katie walks back over, a smirk rising to her lips at Harvey's own exchange with his brother.

"Why didn't you ask me if I wanted a drink?"

Marcus rolls his eyes, opening up the fridge and grabbing two beers, "Here, I don't have any of that fancy crap you drink, so."

"See what I had to deal with?" Harvey turns to Donna, walking over to rest his hand on the small of her back. She nearly jumps at his touch, willing her heart rate to go down when his thumb starts a slow caress. _It's just an act,_ she reminds herself.

"So, tell me, Donna, how long have you been seeing my son?" Lily asks after a beat, returning her attention to the cookies on the cooling rack.

Harvey exchanges a look with Donna, trying to decide who will take reign on the question. Donna takes initiative then, knowing Harvey would be likely to freeze. "Oh, uh, just under five months now," she looks up at her _boyfriend_ , giving him a dreamy smile to keep up pretense.

" _Five months?"_ Katie blurts out, stopping in her tracks before she went to help Lily. "It took Marcus, what? A whole year before he brought me home for the holidays?"

"Oh, well, we've known each other for twelve years, already, so," Harvey quickly explains, taking a swing of his beer.

"Yeah, Harvey told me these two go way back. Donna here even knew dad," Marcus explains to his wife, "What I don't get is, what the hell took you so long to ask her out?"

Harvey sends his brother a death glare, first for the mention of his father in front of their mother, and for asking a question he really didn't want to answer. He feels Donna's hands on his own back then, her slow caress bringing him back to earth and he glances down to see her giving him a look that calms his senses.

"Oh, yes, tell us everything. How did you guys meet?" Katie pleads, a too excited gleam in her eyes.

"And exactly how did my brother manage to sweep you off your feet because this, I gotta know," Marcus smirks, leaning against the counter.

Harvey internally groans, trying to mentally line up the answers to their questions.

"Hey, Lily, have you seen my- oh, Harvey."

Harvey's jaw clenches at the sight of his mother's husband entering the room, his right hand gripping his beer just a little tighter. He feels Donna squeezing his side ever so gently, the touch alone making him loosen up his hold. He wanes out a small smile then, placing his beer down on the counter just long enough to shake the older man's hand. "Bobby," he simply states.

"Harvey, wow, it's great to see you, oh, and who's this?" Bobby inquires, turning his attention to the redhead next to his stepson.

"I'm Donna," she greets him with her own handshake, "I'm Harvey's… girlfriend."

"Oh, well it's very nice to meet you."

"Harvey here was just about to tell us how they met," Lily excitedly points out, trying to move past the awkwardness that grew in the room.

The lawyer clears his throat, silently wishing the earth could swallow him whole in that moment, "Oh, well, it's not that interesting, we uh, well you see, she-"

"We worked at the DA's office together," Donna steps in, giving Harvey a subtle glare, diluted by the grin she wore for the sake of his family, "I was his secretary there, and then we moved on to what is now Pearson Specter Litt," she explains simply, leaving out all the gory details of them meeting at a bar, Harvey flirting with her, _the other time…_.

"So, you guys have worked together for over a decade, and you only just got together? Bro, what gives?"

"Marcus, don't pry," their mother berates, "Though, I am curious, how did the two of you start a relationship? You clearly have a history. Oh, I bet it was romantic," Lily gushes.

"Oh, yeah, Harvey is the epitome of Mr. Romantic," Donna teases, biting back the laugh that bubbles up when Harvey sends her a horrifying look.

"Well, come on, share with the class," Marcus smirks behind his beer.

Harvey shifts in his spot, suddenly feeling like he was under a microscope and he silently curses his secretary _and_ himself for getting them into this situation in the first place, "Oh, well, I just- I asked her out to dinner."

"That's it?" Katie frowns.

"No, well, see, it was our anniversary, for uh, for the time she went to work with me at the firm," Harvey tries to recover, glancing down at Donna who was looking on in intrigue, "And well, we always have this tradition where we go to this restaurant, but uh, this time I brought her her favorite flowers, and then I surprised her with tickets to see her favorite play. Donna's an actress, or well she was, I mean, she sometimes still does plays-"

"Harvey," Donna presses, willing him to move along.

"Right, well, so I surprised her to see her favorite play, and well, I don't really care for Shakespeare, but I care about her, so," Harvey shrugs, looking down to see her face softening at his words, "So then, after the play, I suggested we walk around the park for a bit, but then it started to rain, so we rushed to hail a cab, but it was impossible to get one at that time of night, so we just huddled under this little porch outside a store, and uh, I kissed her, and that was that."

The room is bathed in a moment of silence, not quite awkward, but heavy after Harvey's description of their supposed first date.

"Oh my goodness, that sounds beautiful. Oh, it must've been romantic, right, Donna?" Lily exclaims, a proud gleam in her eyes as she glances from her son to Donna.

"Huh? Oh," Donna clears her throat, trying to shake herself out of the haze in that moment. Her eyes were still on Harvey, her heart pounding having had to hang on to every word he spoke, "Yeah, it was… very romantic," she finishes softly, mustering up all the energy she could to give the older woman a beaming smile.

"So, I guess getting down on one knee is just right around the corner, isn't it?" Marcus playfully suggests. Harvey nearly chokes on his beer at his brother's words, a slight coughing fit following suit.

"You okay?" Donna bites back a laugh, patting Harvey's back to help ease his sputtering.

" _Peachy,"_ he retorts, his eyes sending daggers to Marcus before returning to Donna, "And don't even say it."

"I wasn't going to say anything," she hangs up her left hand in defense, an _I told you so,_ on the tip of her tongue.

"You know, enough about me and my… _romantic life,_ Katie, how are your parents?" Harvey deflects, willing the tightness in his chest to ease.

Katie chuckles, noticing the discomfort in her brother-in-law's eyes, "They're in the family room. I think dad fell asleep watching _It's a Wonderful Life."_

"Oh, well still, we should probably go say hi," he takes Donna's hand in his then, but before he could drag her out of the kitchen and into the family room, his brother's voice is halting their steps.

"Ah, not so fast, big brother, you two may want to look up before you go anywhere."

"What the hell are you- _oh,"_ Harvey swallows when his eyes look up, glancing down to mirror Donna's own stunned expression, _"Marcus,"_ he growls.

"What? It's tradition, and I don't see what the big deal is, she's your girlfriend. And don't tell me it's the PDA thing, he certainly didn't mind flaunting his girlfriends in high school," he whispers the last part to Donna.

"You really in the mood for sharing high school memories? Because I remember one time when you-"

"Okay okay, fine, geez. But this isn't about me, this is about _you_ under a mistletoe with your girlfriend. What's the big deal?" Marcus shrugs, swinging back the beer in his hand, his lips curling with mischief.

"Come on, Harvey, don't be shy. It _is_ tradition," his mother encourages, her own lips set in an anticipatory grin.

Harvey sighs, that uncomfortable feeling rising ten-fold when four sets of eyes train on him and his _girlfriend,_ waiting for them to kiss. His eyes trail back up to the little twig hanging above them, and he swallows thickly before daring to look back down at the redhead next to him.

"It's okay," she whispers, and he knows it was more for his benefit, coming from Donna, the friend not fake girlfriend, letting him know he had her permission.

"You sure?" He mumbles next to her, searching her eyes for any reservations.

Donna smirks, setting their drinks on top of the counter before facing him again, displaying her best acting skills, "Come on, Specter, stop hesitating and just go for it. It's not like you haven't done so before."

Harvey shifts in his spot, turning to fully face her before clenching and unclenching his hands, feeling them clamming up, "Okay," he whispers. He hesitates for one moment before he leans down, giving a quick peck to her lips before pulling back again, turning to his brother, "Happy?"

"Man, that was pathetic, are you sure this is the same _romantic_ guy you keep talking about?" Marcus asks Donna.

"I'm with Marcus on this one, son, don't be shy, give her a real kiss," his mother gently nudges.

Harvey mentally curses the universe for putting him in that position, his jaw clenching as he glances from one expectant gaze to another, "This is ridiculous," he mumbles under his breath, mustering up every ounce of courage before he's cupping Donna's cheek in his hand, slanting his lips over hers, eliciting her own squeal of surprise. She freezes at the contact, her eyebrows raised for a moment before she relaxes into him, into the kiss. Before her hands could come up to hold onto his arms, he's pulling back. Her mouth is agape, eyes half hooded as she gazes up at him, a mere two inches taller than her despite her boots. Donna swallows, watching Harvey's eyes blinking back the surprise of his own move.

"See, now _that_ was a kiss," comes Marcus' smug grin, lifting his beer bottle at the pair in salute. Before Harvey can counter back, however, he hears the familiar twin yelps of his brother's kids.

" _Uncle Harvey!"_ The two small feet hurdle into him in a flash, and he's meeting them half way when he crouches down to greet them in a hug.

"Hey, you two," Harvey grins, his voice slightly out of breath.

"You came!" The little boy exclaims, clutching onto his uncle tighter before letting go.

Harvey chuckles, "Of course I came, I had to see my favorite little Specters," he ruffles their hair playfully, evoking twin giggles.

"Who's that?" The girl asks as soon as Harvey stands, shifting in reflex next to Donna.

"Oh, this is Donna," Harvey replies, hesitating just a second before placing his hand on its earlier spot on her lower back. He feels her stiffening at the contact before relaxing once more, her eyes solely trained on the kids in front of them.

"Hey, you two, it's great to finally meet you," she grins, trying to ignore the tingling she still felt on her lips.

"Are you uncle Harvey's girlfriend?" The young girl tilts her head, her brown curls falling to the side.

Donna chuckles, the noise coming out more nervous than intended, "Uh, yeah," she sends Harvey a look before glancing back down, "I am. And you must be Hailey and Jack. You know, your uncle here couldn't stop raving about you on the way over here."

Hailey's blue eyes widen, "Really?"

"Oh, yeah, he couldn't wait to get here to play with you two," she bumps her elbow against Harvey, sending him a cheeky grin that only grows when he sends her a warning look.

"Oh, you have to help us build a snowman then!" Jack exclaims.

"Yes!" Hailey excitedly agrees, "You too aunt Donna, come on," her little hands grab onto the two surprised adults, stopping short when her father's voice interrupts her.

"Hold it there, little missy, let uncle Harvey and… _aunt Donna_ get settled in their room before you two drag them out in the tundra. They just got here, and Harvey here can't afford to get his nice slacks dirty," Marcus chuckles.

" _Fine,"_ Hailey huffs at the same time her younger brother pouts.

"Five minutes here and you're already being summoned by my kids," Katie laughs, grabbing a couple of containers to help Lily place the cookies inside.

"Okay, you two, why don't you go start the snowman building process while I take Harvey and Donna to their room?" Twins sighs follow suit at their father's suggestion, their little bodies walking toward the door to put on their coats and boots.

"Don't take too long!" Jack's voice carries over, eliciting laughs from the adults. Marcus leads Donna and Harvey down the corridor and up the stairs then, the younger Specter explaining their plans for the following day, "It's not going to be anything major, just a Christmas Eve dinner with us, and Katie's sisters may swing by with their families as well," they reach the top of the stairs where Harvey and Donna silently follow Marcus until he reaches a door at the end of the hall. Marcus pauses just before opening it, "I know it's not ritzy like you, but it does have its own bathroom, so."

"It'll do just fine," Harvey retorts, his face falling as soon as they enter and he sees the single queen sized bed in the middle of the room, "Uh, one bed?"

Marcus sends him a quizzical look at the same time Donna pinches his side, making him send her a glare in question, "Uh dude, it's fine, this isn't Amish country, we all know you're not leading a celibate life," he claps his brother's back, "I'm gonna wait for you guys outside. Good luck."

"Thanks," Harvey mumbles.

"I was talking to Donna," Marcus smirks, closing the door behind him.

Harvey rolls his eyes, taking off his coat and setting it on a chair near the bed. When he goes to reach for his suit case, he stops short when he sees Donna standing before him, arms crossed and sending him a heightened version of a death glare, "What?"

"' _One bed?'"_

Harvey sighs, "Slip of the tongue."

"Or Freudian slip."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He straightens, taking a step toward her.

"It means you've been groaning and sighing and sending me looks ever since we got here," Donna rants.

"Yeah, well, I don't know what you want me to do when my family has a microscope over us, prying into our lives." He grumbles.

"Precisely that, Harvey. You keep up this- half-assed attitude and we're not going to convince them we're together."

"They bought my story about our… _first date,_ and we kissed, what more do you want?" He seethes, throwing his hands up as agitation starts eating at him.

"For one, lower your voice unless you really want them to find out this is all a lie," she watches him deflating before continuing, "And you can suck it up and maybe pretend that being with me isn't such work for you."

"I don't know what the hell it is you want me to say, I let you hold my hand, I kissed you under that goddamn mistletoe I bet my brother strategically placed just to mess with me, and I've been buying into everything we planned to tell them before we got here."

Donna stays silent for a while, momentarily wondering if she shouldn't have gotten so riled up. He _had_ kissed her, _twice._ But he wasn't putting in as much effort as she was, and frankly it was starting to sting. "Listen," she starts slowly, "I know being here, with your family, your mom… _Bobby,"_ she watches him clenching his jaw at the older man's name, "is probably setting you on edge, _I get that,_ but need I remind you that you roped me into this in the first place? That this was _your_ idea, so maybe start acting like you want to be here, otherwise I'll find my own damn way back home."

"I didn't _force_ you into anything. I asked you, you could've said no."

"Well, I didn't!"

"And why the hell not then? If you're so hell bound over this, why didn't you just tell me 'sorry, Harvey, I can't' and that would've been that?"

"Because you're my friend!" She bellows, making him double back in surprise at her outburst, "you're my friend and you needed a favor, so now I'm here. And all I'm asking is that you don't make me do all the goddamn work." Harvey scoffs at her words, "What?"

"' _Harvey here is Mr. Romantic',"_ he mocks, "you set me up to explain a date that never happened with the added pressure of it being romantic. You keep saying I'm letting you do all the work, but you keep putting me on the spot."

"Fine, you know what? I'll shut my mouth from now on, let you take the lead or whatever. Hold my hand, don't hold my hand, I don't give a shit. But I'm just reminding you that this was _your_ idea, so either get it together, or let them figure out that I'm just your secretary and that's it," with her heated words hanging in the air, Donna grabs her bag and enters the ensuite in the bedroom, slamming the door shut.

"Donna," but her name is a meek reply as it falls from his lips, a sigh following suit as he stares at the closed door before him. _What the hell just happened?_

…

 **Hope to hear your thoughts :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed/commented on here and tumblr/twitter. The response to this was overwhelming and I'm just so thankful you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did in writing it. -ali**

…

Harvey shuffles back into the room, depositing his earlier set of clothes on top of the dresser with a heavy sigh. His head shoots up to the bathroom when it swings open, and he's greeted with the sight of Donna, changed in slightly more casual wear- a moss green sweater and jeans with a gray beanie atop her head.

"Where were you?" She asks softly, noting his own pair of dark jeans and black sweater.

"I uh, I changed in the bathroom down the hall," he explains with a tight-lipped smile.

Donna nods, moving past him to drop her bag next to her suitcase, "So, you ready to go?"

"Donna,"

"Harvey, it's fine," she raises her hand toward him.

"No, it's not," he waits a beat before taking a step closer to her, "I- you were right. I've been acting like a jackass."

"Not much _acting_ there," she retorts, crossing her arms.

He tilts his head at her, "Can I please just let this out?" At her defeated nod he continues, "You were right, it's a little… unnerving having everyone watching our every move and asking us all these questions and having us… _kiss,"_ he mutters, averting his gaze before turning his attention back to her, "It's weird, I don't- I'm not used to spending Christmas with my brother and his family and especially not with mom and _Bobby_ being here. And I _was_ the one to ask you to come here, to pretend to be my girlfriend because Marcus was baiting my ass the other day about not having anyone in my life, so yeah, I snapped and told him I was seeing you."

Donna merely nods, and when she doesn't say anything, Harvey moves on to continue, "And I'm sorry, if I did rope you into this. I- can't thank you enough for it, and yeah, I guess it's pretty fucked up when my family thinks all of this is real, but you are _not 'just'_ my secretary, Donna. You never were."

Her lips twitch slightly at his words, and she shuffles her feet before looking up at him, "I know," she says quietly, "I was just- annoyed, I guess. It's nice to be here, meeting your family and getting to know them and just _having fun,_ putting up a little show."

"'m sorry if I've been half-assing my best efforts to make this feel believable," he mumbles, "I've never actually done this before."

"Dated?" Donna raises her eyebrows sarcastically.

Harvey rolls his eyes, " _No,_ brought a girl home, let her meet my family," he shrugs, "and despite what my brother says, showing off my girlfriends in high school, I was never one for PDA, so uh, sorry if that… kiss… felt off."

Donna blinks at his words, slightly taken aback by the sudden shyness that takes over him. When the stuttering in her heart ceases, she clears her throat, trying to shake off the rising fluttering in her stomach at the memory of their kiss, "Uh, no, don't be. It was… nice."

"Nice?"

"Well, I definitely think it got the message through, don't you?" Donna tries to even her voice, hoping she sounded as confident as she wished she felt.

Harvey smirks, "Maybe the second one."

"Yeah, that first one _was_ pretty pathetic," she scrunches up her nose dramatically. And just like that, they were back to being _them._

Harvey huffs out a laugh, moving past her to stand in front of the door to their room, "Gee, thanks."

"I'm just saying," she defends, throwing her hands up, "Try not to look like you're completely dreading to kiss me."

"I'm not," he confesses quietly, his voice suddenly too serious. Her eyes widen slightly at his words, feeling the room rising ten degrees all too quickly.

She clears her throat, moving to open the door behind him, "Okay, well, good. Just- try to show that next time… _if_ the opportunity arises," she playfully warns with a raised finger. When she walks to move past him, she turns around abruptly, just outside of their door, "And oh, for the record? That story you told about our… _first date,_ it uh, it was. Romantic, I mean."

It takes a moment for Harvey to register her words, his lips curling up slowly when they finally do, "Really? It wasn't too cheesy with the rain?"

"Are you kidding me?" Donna scoffs, "Rain kisses can never be too cheesy for _any_ girl," she reassures, patting him on the shoulder before she saunters down the hall.

Harvey lets out a breath at her retreating form, closing the door behind him before he follows her down the stairs, her words echoing in his mind.

...

"Geez, what the hell took you guys so long?" Marcus playfully scolds when he sees Donna and Harvey exiting the house, their steps taking them to the front lawn, now covered in a sheet of snow.

"We were changing," Harvey replies, bumping his fist against his brother's shoulder.

"Changing, huh? Is that what the kids are calling getting lai-ouch!" Harvey chuckles when his sister-in-law slaps Marcus' chest, a warning look in her eyes.

"Thanks, Katie," He retorts, sharing a shy glance with Donna, "So, uh, I thought we were building a snowman?" Harvey ponders when he notices the kids playing on the snow-covered ground, making snowballs with their tiny hands.

"We decided that having a snowball fight would be more fun!" Hailey informs, turning her attention back to the clump of snow in her hands.

"Yeah, uncle Harvey, building a snowman is less fun," Jack jumps in, continuing to add to his pile of snowballs.

"Yeah, _uncle Harvey,_ building snowmen is for old people," Donna teases, peeking out her pink tongue at him as she gives him a playful bump.

Harvey raises his eyebrows, turning to face her "Old, huh?"

"Uh oh, I know _that_ look," Marcus warns, "It's the same one he got right before he would step onto the field during a baseball game. That's his 'game face' look," he warns Donna who turns to look at him, "I wouldn't mess with that."

Donna scoffs, "Please, I've worked with him for over twelve years, I think I know-" her words turn into a gasp of surprise, her cheek being hit with a splash of cold. "Oh, you did not just-"

Harvey gives her an innocent shrug, swaying on the spot, "Oh, I _did_ just."

Her eyes narrow, head shaking as her lips turn into a wicked grin. Without taking her eyes off of him, she reaches down to the snow, blindly forming a snowball in her hands at the same time Harvey starts to back up from her, building his pace.

"Yeah, you better run Harvey Reginald Specter!" She breaks into her own jog, chasing him across the lawn before rounding her arm back, setting up her throw before she lets go of the snowball. She raises her hand in triumph when the frozen water hits him straight in the face, making him close his eyes on reflex.

"Oh, you really want to play this game, do you?" Harvey challenges, the glint in his eyes matching her own as he shuffles to where the kids' pile of snowballs lay.

" _Harvey,"_ Donna warns, catching on to his intentions, "That was just a one-time th-" she ducks on reflex, anticipating his throw and missing it. She turns around then, biting back a laugh when she sees his snowball had landed on Marcus' chest.

"Not cool, man."

Harvey only sends him a smug grin, setting into a jog when his brother reaches down to throw a fist full of snow his way, hitting him square in the chest as well. "Oops, hope I didn't just ruin your million-dollar jacket." It only takes a second before the older Specter reacts, reaching down to grab another snowball and throwing it at his brother, heckling out a laugh when he meets his goal.

"You were right, Jack, this is more fun than building a snowman," he tells his nephew before picking up two snowballs this time and gently hurling them toward the kids. Soon enough, all four adults and the two children were running around the lawn, Hailey yelling out a proud " _snowball fight!"_ that only spurred on the adults. Hailey and Jack ended up staying in a corner, playfully throwing snow with no discernible shape toward each other, making up a new game to see who could pick up the most snow in their tiny arms. Their parents continued on a fight with the other pair, wordlessly splitting up into a game of women versus men.

They naturally veered into halves, however, with Donna targeting Harvey more while Katie tried to chase her husband with one snowball.

"That all you got, Specter?" Donna raises her eyebrows in challenge, shifting from one foot to another as she carefully eyes the snowball in her boss' glove covered hand. She's overcome with a sudden giddiness- and she doesn't miss the way the feeling alone is foreign to her, her relationship with him having fluctuated over recent years, and more so in the recent days.

Harvey smirks, carefully inching his way closer to her as she backs up, "I wouldn't get too cocky yet, Paulsen." He keeps walking until her back meets the trunk of a tree just in front of the porch, trapping her in place, "I guess you have nowhere to run," he whispers, eyes studying her usual pale cheeks, now tainted in a pink hue due to the cold.

Donna hums against him now, pulling herself up on her tiptoes until she was at eye level, "So you've basically won then? Come to claim your prize?" She licks her lips slowly, watching his own eyes darkening at the action, the hand that held his last snowball falling to the ground soundlessly.

"Prize?" His throat bobs at her words, eyes glancing from her hazel ones to her plump lips.

"Yeah," she husks, moving closer to him. When his eyes land on her lips, his face leaning forward on reflex to meet her half way, she smashes the clump of frozen water against his face, a pleased cackle falling from her lips when he scrunches it up. "Looks like you ran out of balls, Harvey."

Donna backs away from him then, her chuckles reverberating through her as he rubs the snow off his face, shaking his head in the process, "It's not about the balls, Donna."

"Oh, it's always about the balls," she reminds him with dramatically widened eyes.

"That's it." Without warning, Harvey starts chasing after her, a squeal of surprise leaving her when he picks up his pace. Both were now without any snowballs, merely running around the large front lawn like children. Donna manages to miss his advances, swerving to the left unexpectedly until she stood behind Hailey. "Okay, that's cheating, you can't use my niece to block me," Harvey scolds, watching in amusement as she ducks to stand behind the eight-year-old.

"It's not cheating if it's working," the redhead exclaims, making the younger girl giggle.

"Says who?"

"Says me!" With that, Donna manages to hurl a handful of snow at Harvey, this time hitting him just above his pants

"Careful, any lower than that and you may not be able to have kids," Marcus muses from the corner, now standing next to his wife as they both look on amused.

"Shut up, Marcus," Harvey growls, taking his attention off Donna long enough to let her flee from the comfort of standing behind his niece. "Oh, nice try, Paulsen. You can run, but you can't keep hiding!"

Donna manages to fly past him, but before she could reach the front porch, Harvey's sprinting toward her, his large frame encompassing her. Not seeing his attack, the redhead yelps in surprise, barely missing the low, _"gotcha"_ that falls from his lips. In an attempt to detangle herself from his hold, she loses her footing and feels herself tumbling down. On reflex, she grabs onto Harvey's coat, and they both end up falling in a heap, with Harvey's body landing on top of hers.

" _Shit,_ are you okay?" Harvey immediately gasps, his concerned eyes raking over her entire body, making sure that she didn't get hurt.

Donna shakes her head, her eyes screwed shut as a giggle leaks out of her. Harvey watches on amused, her laughter easing his worries slightly, and the corner of his eyes crinkle in response, "What? Did you hit your head and you're delusional now?"

"No," Donna giggles, "The snow broke my fall, but you should've seen your face when you realized I was taking you down with me." His own laugh mirrors her, and the two of them stay rooted to the spot, flakes of snow falling all around them, unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching on, completely immersed in their own little bubble.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting that," he breathes, his chuckles now subsiding. It's only then that he notices how close they were, with him lying almost completely on top of her, his hands holding him just far enough so their faces were a mere inch away from each other. Their twin smiles slowly fade, and Harvey takes the time to watch the slight flecks of gold in her eyes twinkling in the daylight. He swallows back, watching her copper hair tainting the white canvas below her, her gray beanie pushing the locks in place. His eyes fall down to her lips, parted and glowing pink. Her eyes widen when he carefully shifts in place, leaning down just an inch to gauge her reaction. She merely swallows in response, her chest heaving in anticipation, and when she glances down to his own lips, he takes the plunge.

Her lips are cold against his, and he momentarily realizes that he wouldn't mind if they were stuck, frozen together. But with the first seconds that pass, he tentatively moves his lips against her, nipping at her bottom one to merely test the waters, eliciting a sigh from her. His hand slides through the snow-covered ground until he's cupping her cheek, using his hold on her to angle her face until he's deepening the kiss. A low moan leaves her when he boldly snakes his tongue to meet hers, starting a slow dance that soon leaves them breathless. When the bite from the cold hits his lungs and it becomes too painful without any oxygen, he pulls back.

"I ceased an opportunity," he tells her breathlessly.

Donna blinks up at him, surprise and something akin to arousal in her eyes making him thickly swallow back. When he opens his mouth to speak again, he feels a cold splash against the nape of his neck. "The hell?"

"Hey, lovebirds, this is a family show. No schmoozing out front for all my neighborhood to see," Marcus yells from the other side of the lawn, his voice laced with playful arrogance. Harvey purses his lips at his brother's words, quickly noticing that Katie had been keeping the kids occupied by making snow angels. He feels his cheeks growing hot then, both relieved and embarrassed that he let himself go- his niece and nephew almost having witnessed him making out with his _girlfriend_ right on their lawn.

He turns back down to the redhead in question, taking in her flushed skin and still wide eyes. It's then that he realizes he was still lying on top of her, and in a quick yet awkward manner, he scrambles off of her, extending out a hand to help her up.

"Uh, sorry," he manages to mutter once she was standing to full height, shaking off the snow from his own clothes in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

Donna lets out a shaky laugh, hoping it masks her nerves, "Like you said," she flicks off the remainder of the snow from her clothes, "you ceased an opportunity." She gives him what she hopes is an assuring smile, clearing her throat in the next second, "I uh, I'm gonna go inside. Help your mom in the kitchen."

"Donna-"

"I'll see you back inside," and with one last tight-lipped smile, she's jogging up the steps of the front porch, opening the door to enter.

"Geez, man. I knew you had it bad for her, but," Marcus lets out a low whistle, sauntering up to his brother with a knowing grin.

"Shut up, dickhead," Harvey slaps his chest, only making the younger Specter chuckle.

"Man, I give you two… exactly two years _max_ before you have a mini Donna or Harvey in the picture."

Harvey swivels his head toward his brother, brown eyes going wide, "Seriously?"

"Hey," his brother puts his hands up in defense, "with the way you two are going at it _Joanie Loves Chachi_ style, I wouldn't be surprised if my future niece or nephew gets conceived here this weekend."

"Alright, that's it," Harvey crouches to gather up a handful of snow in his hand, hurling it toward his brother, "you asked for it."

…

Her hands shake as she opens the front door, blaming it on the cold as she enters the house, her back meeting the mahogany with a heavy sigh. Donna closes her eyes, taking a moment to get her breathing to settle, but the slow breath she takes does nothing to settle the rapid beating of her heart.

" _I ceased an opportunity."_

His words echo in her mind, and she keeps telling herself it was all for pretense- an act to keep up their little game of charades for his family. She _had_ given him permission to kiss her again should the opportunity present itself, but her mind kept replaying the look he had given her just before he leaned in- eyes dilated and completely sure of himself. Donna licks her lips at the memory, his taste prominently stuck on her tongue, her body sizzling with the feel of him on top of her.

She lets out a low growl, pushing herself off the door as she turns to look out the window. Her lips curl at the immediate sight of Harvey throwing a patch of snow to his brother, to which Marcus retaliates by throwing one back, leading in a jovial back and forth snowball fight between the brothers. She feels a shiver course through her when the sudden memory of their recent kiss comes to mind again, and she relays the message she kept telling herself since arriving.

 _It was just an act. He said everything will be back to normal come Monday._

With a final shake of her head, she wills her legs to move and lead her into the kitchen, smearing on her best smile as Harvey's mother comes into view.

"Donna!" Lily chirps as soon as the redhead steps into the kitchen, "did the kids finish that snowman they kept talking about?"

Donna chuckles, her mere presence bringing on a natural ease, "Not really, we ended up having a massive snowball fight instead. I managed to get out just after I hit the ground, but your sons are still going at it."

The older woman laughs, "It amazes me how those two can still act like they did when they were younger." She lets a solemn silence take over, both women sharing an understanding smile.

"So, uh, do you need any help?" Donna breaks the silence, walking over to stand next to Lily near the island. She eyes the array of already baked sugar and gingerbread cookies, some dough and flour taking up the rest of the space.

"Do you bake?" Lily asks, already handing Donna a rolling pin.

Donna shakes her head, "Ha, no, not really. But I'm a quick learner."

Lily chuckles, "Well, the hard part is done, you just have to roll the dough and then cut out the shapes," she points to a pile of silver cookie cutters, varying in Christmas themed shapes.

"Easy enough," the redhead nods. She lets Lily guide her, sprinkling some flour on the dough to keep it from sticking before flattening it out.

"There, just make sure it's thin before cutting into it, that way the cookies won't inflate when they bake." Donna follows suit, listening to the older woman's advice before cutting out a snowflake shaped cookie dough.

"Oh, would you look at that, I'll be popping these out Martha Stewart style in no time," Donna compliments herself.

"And maybe I can show you the recipe later, have you start learning now so you can bake them for your little one someday."

Donna freezes at Lily's words, schooling herself to stagger out a nervous chuckle before she continues rolling out the dough again, "Very subtle."

"Well, I can't afford to waste any time. I'm not exactly getting any younger here, and I would like to have more grandkids before my time is up," she nudges Donna's shoulder, "and neither are you two. I know it's not my place, and you two only recently entered a relationship, but I got to tell you, Donna, the way my son looks at you, the way you look at him… some people would kill to have that kind of love."

Donna pauses, her head turning to look at the woman next to her, "You know, I had a feeling my son was seeing someone, when he came to see me a few months back," at the quizzical look in Donna's eyes Lily continues, "he told me that someone _very special_ to him convinced him to forgive me, and I know that was you, so I just wanted to thank you."

Feeling her eyes watering, Donna mentally curses herself, her voice going hoarse when she speaks, "He said that?"

Lily nods, "He never told me your name, but when Marcus told me he was bringing over his girlfriend, I just knew it had to be you. Earlier today, when he was sharing his story about your first date, he had that same look in his eyes he did that night. He really loves you."

Donna can only nod, summoning up every ounce of strength she could muster to not break down in that moment. She knew her words had held up and paved the way for Harvey to go see his mother, to forgive her, but she never knew he would go so far as to mention that it was because of _her,_ and to share that with his mom.

"I uh, I don't really know what to say to that," Donna weakly chuckles, wiping away a tear before it could slide down her cheek.

Lily gently reaches out to touch her arm, "You don't have to say anything," she pauses to sigh, "I'm sure my son has told you all about… me, our history," at Donna's meek nod she continues, "There are a lot of things I wish I could've handled differently, we ended up missing years of our lives without seeing each other. Time is a precious thing, Donna, and when you have kids, well, everything changes."

Donna can only nod, her words caught in her throat as a sudden guilt washes over her. _What were they doing?_ Here they were, carrying around this facade of being a couple, being in love, _but was it even a lie?_

Lily's words echo in her mind again. _He really loves you. Someone very special._ She exhales on a shaky breath, giving Lily a semblance of an understanding smile, and tries to swallow against the vile taste that arose in her mouth. Here was this woman, thanking her, telling her to not waste any time, that she couldn't wait to have more grandchildren. _If she only knew her son and I weren't even in a relationship_.

"Lily, I-"

"Hey, oh good, you're baking more cookies!" Marcus rushes into the kitchen, popping a gingerbread into his mouth as soon as he walks in.

"I thought Katie told you to wait," Lily playfully scolds.

Marcus shrugs, speaking over a mouthful of cookie, "She's not here right now."

Donna wanes out a weak smile, hoping neither could read through her current veil, "I uh, I just remembered, I have to call into work to check on some things."

Lily frowns, "So close to Christmas?"

"Uh, yeah, well, I just want to make sure Louis, the other name partner, hasn't wreaked havoc yet. I know Harvey would want me to check."

"Damn, and he can't do that himself?" Marcus suggests.

"Can Harvey ever do anything for himself?" Donna jokes, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Touché," the younger Specter salutes.

With an affirmative nod, Donna exists the kitchen, her shoulders slumping as soon as the other two were out of sight. Her feet carry her upstairs then, taking quick measured steps until finally reaching the guest bedroom. She drops her head as soon as the door closes, her eyes shutting with a heavy sigh.

She felt the beginnings of a migraine taking over, the room around her immediately feeling like it was closing in on her. Opening her eyes, she takes off her coat, throwing it onto the bed before starting to take off her clothes. _I need a shower,_ she suddenly decides, needing to wash away the last couple of hours from her body. The guilt, the kisses laced with too many questions and feelings she wasn't ready to face…. She couldn't shake off the sensation of his lips on hers, the look in his eyes as he still cupped her cheek after their snow rendezvous. And then his mother had to go and thank her, give her speech on time and love and kids and she felt the heaviness of her words weighing in on her, adding to the already heavy load she'd been carrying.

It'd been fun at first, teasing Harvey and making him squirm, but reality had soon set in, and she no longer felt like she could keep carrying this pretense, not when her supposed future mother-in-law was already intending on teaching her a cookie recipe so _she_ could pass on to her and Harvey's kids.

She shakes her head, continuously getting more light headed by the second and she resumes taking off her clothes until she was stripped down to her underwear and bra. Heaving out a sigh, she runs her fingers through her golden locks, and heads straight to the closed bathroom door. As she goes to open it, the door swings open and she collides head on with a dripping wet, _naked_ Harvey.

Everything seems to happen in a flash and in slow motion all at once. In an attempt to hold herself steady, her hands reach out to grab his chest, her eyes widening as realization dawns on her, _she's holding onto her very wet, very naked boss slash friend slash pretend boyfriend._

"Oh _shit,"_ she hears herself exclaiming, eyes drifting downward to take in _all of him,_ completely hard and chiseled and dripping with tiny droplets that cling to every cress.

" _Donna!"_ Harvey shrieks, and if it weren't for their current predicament, she would've laughed at the high pitch in his voice. His chocolate brown eyes are bulged, raking over her body before he realizes what they're doing and he's closing them shut, placing a hand over his eyes as he grabs the towel he held in his hands to place over his front.

"What- what are you doing here?" He stutters out, moving away from her to stand in front of the bed, nearly tripping on her discarded boots.

" _Me?"_ Donna all but yelps out, covering herself even though his eyes were currently shut, _"_ I thought you were still outside, when the hell did you turn into a mouse?" She chastises, still breathless, annoyed that she hadn't heard him stepping out of the shower.

"Excuse me for not announcing my every move, you could've knocked!" He weakly defends, his towel still covering his front.

Donna swallows back, willing her eyes to remain at eye level with his covered face and not on his six pack or the muscles that lead down to his pubic bone. "Like I had the time to, you were already coming out… _naked."_ An awkward silence fills the room then, already heavy with tension and too many words left unsaid.

"Uh," Harvey begins, "Are you going to shower now or…?

"What?" Donna shakes herself out of her reverie.

"Well, it's starting to get a little cold and I'm still… _indecent_ ," he clears his throat, "Unless, you're enjoying the view," he peeks through two of his fingers, sending her a smirk when she scoffs at him, hurling a throw pillow from one of the nearby chairs in his direction.

" _You're an ass,"_ she yells, entering the bathroom with a loud slam of the door behind her.

"I'm sorry, did you just say _you like my ass?"_

Donna rolls her eyes, finally being able to let out a long exhale once she was in the small enclosed bathroom. She chooses to ignore his quip, instead now focusing on the fogged-up mirrors inside as evidence of his recent shower. Letting out another breath, she feels herself growing dizzy again, the smell of his aftershave both overwhelming and calming her senses. The image of his toned body comes to mind, not much different than how she remembered it from nearly a decade in the past.

"Get it together, Paulsen," she mutters to herself. With shaky hands, she finally removes the last of her barriers, her body humming at the mere memory of getting a full-frontal view of one Harvey Specter.

 _Maybe a cold shower wouldn't be a bad idea._

…

After her _impromptu peek_ at her boss, Donna cautiously exited the bathroom, making sure she was alone before scurrying out to change, still trying to rattle the images of him from her mind. It'd unnerved her- had awoken something she'd tried to suppress for so long, but now couldn't seem to shake off. After changing for dinner, putting on a pair of dark jeans and a navy blue sweater, she made her way downstairs, her heart firmly stuck in her throat. She thanked her lucky stars when she reached the kitchen and Harvey was nowhere to be seen.

"He's outside," came Lily's voice when she entered the space, giving Donna a smile before she took out a bowl and started cutting up some lettuce for a salad. "He's helping Marcus get some wood for the fireplace. The rest are in the family room, watching another Christmas movie."

Donna merely nods, suddenly self-conscious about how good her own poker face was. She walks over to stand next to her, "You need any help preparing for dinner?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," the older woman smiles, "Marcus is going to handle the roast and potatoes, but you can help me make the salad. Katie's already setting the table."

They work in tandem then, dividing the work between cutting up the vegetables to add to the salad, picking up a silent rhythm.

"Everything okay back at the firm?" Lily asks after a beat, peering at Donna from the corner of her eye.

"What? Oh, yeah, everything is fine," Donna smiles, suddenly feeling awkward under the woman's gaze.

"Then why do you look a little… shaken, if you don't mind me asking?" Lily gently prods, picking up another tomato to dice.

 _So much for your acting skills, Paulsen._ Donna sighs, silently cursing the woman for reading her current internal predicament. What is she to tell her?

 _I'm feeling guilty that I'm pretending to be your son's girlfriend and you've all but got your imaginary grandkids' names picked out._

 _I still can't stop thinking about the kiss your son gave me or seeing him naked for the first time in over ten years._

"I just have a little bit of a headache," she offers instead, which wasn't a complete lie, she _did_ have a headache in that moment.

"You sure you're not…" Lily glances down to her stomach before looking at up her eyes again.

Donna tilts her head, confusion written in her face before her eyes widen and her chest tightens, " _Oh,_ oh God no, no I'm- I'm not," she chuckles nervously.

"You sure?" Lily smirks, "I used to get headaches every time I was pregnant with both boys, drove me crazy."

"Yeah, no, I'm… _definitely not," because I'm not sleeping with your son or anyone, for that matter,_ she mentally adds.

"Okay," Lily laughs at her reaction, "although, if you were, Harvey would be thrilled."

"You think so?" Donna finds herself asking, her voice too low and timid.

Lily nods, "A mini you or him running around for him to spoil? He would be _thrilled._ I know I haven't been able to watch him interact with Hailey and Jack until recently, but from what Marcus has told me, he's great with them. He'd really make an excellent father."

Donna smiles at the woman's words, her chest filling with a yearning for something she couldn't quite decipher, or _wouldn't_ let herself think about, "Yeah, he would."

"Hey," Harvey's soft voice breaks her out of her thoughts, his presence taking her by such surprise that she lets the knife in her hand slip, feeling a sharp pain on her in index finger.

" _Shit,"_ she hisses, the sight of her now red tinted finger nearly making her pass out.

"Are you okay?" Harvey rushes to her side, worry creased in his face as he glances from her scrunched-up expression to the finger she clutched in her hand.

"I'm- _oh fuck,_ fine. Oh, sorry," she blushes, remembering his mother was standing right next to her.

"Oh, honey, please. Nothing I haven't heard or spoken before," she reassures, "I'll go grab the first aid kit," with a hand on her shoulder, Lily sends her a reassuring smile before starting to walk out.

"Thanks, mom," Harvey calls out, face still riddled with worry as she disappears. "Okay, we should really wash this off," he gently guides Donna to the sink, opening the tap and bringing her hand under the running water.

The redhead winces as soon the cold water meets her wound, "You sure you know what you're doing, doctor?" She mocks, her face distorting as the stinging in her finger only matures.

"I know we need to get this cleaned before we wrap it up," he tells her in a voice too soft. She looks up at him then, watching his forehead creased in concentration as he waits for the blood to clear from her sore finger. His touch on her hand rapidly feeling too heavy, too heated, and her face flushes at the memory of him just an hour earlier.

"Harvey-"

"Okay, it looks fine, I mean _not great,_ but the cut's not too deep, so I don't think you'll need stitches," he observes, closing the tap before glancing up at her slightly wide eyes, "How'd this happen anyway?"

Donna purses her lips, "You kind of caught me by surprise."

"You want to me to kiss it and make it better?"

She gapes at him at his abrupt tease, his voice still too quiet and now smug, standing too close to her, holding her hand in a near visceral grip, almost as if he were afraid she'd let go and flee.

"I think I'll live," she replies, her own voice just as low, their eyes trained solely on each other. She glances down to their joined hands then, noticing how his thumb is running soothing circles on her palm, the touch alone sending all sorts of tingles in every other crevice of her body. When she opens up her mouth to speak, Lily's voice carries through the open space.

"Here, I've got ointments and wraps and band-aids, you name it. I guess with two little kids here, your brother is more than prepared," she chuckles, handing Harvey the small box with all the aid. "Now that I see you're in good hands, I'm going to help Katie set up the table," she winks at the redhead before sauntering off.

"Thanks Lily," Donna calls out, wincing when Harvey applies the ointment to her finger, "I thought this was supposed to make me feel better."

"It's going to sting first, trust me, it's not my first rodeo," he gently blows on her cut, and she nearly jumps at the cool touch of his breath on her.

"What, did you make your ex-girlfriend's jump and had them cut themselves in the process?"

Harvey rolls his eyes, "If you must know, I've tended to a couple of cuts and bruises Hailey and Jack have endured."

Donna eyes soften, too many images of him attending to little kids that _were not_ his niece and nephew suddenly filtering through her mind. She watches idly as he cautiously picks up a band-aid and wraps it around her throbbing finger, and she's thankful for the sudden distraction that pulls her out of too dangerous thoughts. "There," he states, "All better," she watches with wide eyes as he lifts her hand to his lips, giving her finger a soft kiss. Her heart rate picks up at his gentle touch, only increasing at the steady gaze he gives her.

"Thank you," she whispers. Her eyes cast downward to his lips on reflex, swallowing when he inches closer to her, his left hand sliding to her lower back.

"Does it still hurt?" He murmurs, dipping his head down until his lips are nearly grazing hers.

Donna shakes her head, "What does?" She meets his eyes again, but before he can close the gap, Marcus steps into the room.

"Oops, sorry, am I interrupting a _moment?"_ He chuckles.

The pair jump back as if set on fire, setting at least a foot of distance between them. Harvey sends his brother a glare, watching as he walks over to the oven to check on his roast. "I was just- helping Donna. She cut herself," he clears his throat, side eyeing said redhead who was avoiding his own stare before clearing up the counter of the first aid supplies.

He couldn't figure out why he was so quick to defend their actions- _they were supposed to be a couple. They'd already kissed in front of his family. Twice._ And yet… _why did he feel like he was just caught with his hand in the cookie jar?_

"Right, well, dinner should be ready soon, but between mom and Katie trying to perfect the dinner table set up, it could be a while longer. You two want a drink?"

" _Yes!"_ Comes their immediate twin replies. They share a tentative look, not noticing the way Marcus gives them his own amused glance.

"Well, okay then. Let's get the party started."

…

 **AN: As always, love to hear your thoughts :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Once again, thank you so much for all of your comments and reviews. Wish I could reply to them individually, but know that I read and appreciate each and every one.**

 **Also yay! for that Suits renewal and promo. Sad that we're losing PJA and Meghan, but I'm looking forward to all the darvey and a whole new season. Hope you enjoy this update! xoxox**

…

Dinner had been slightly less awkward than either anticipated. As predicted, they had sat next to each other, keeping up the pretense for the sake of his family, but also as a mere habit to gravitate to one another. Luckily, not many questions were directed at them, what with Hailey and Jack taking up most of everyone's attention, the children making the adults laugh with their antics. And in a surprising tactic, Harvey had struck up a conversation with Bobby and his brother, trying his best to keep the civility between them.

Donna had given him a gentle squeeze under the table, providing him with a proud smile that made his eyes crinkle in response. "Your dad would be proud," she whispered, "he wants you to be happy, for your mom to be happy."

He only nodded, giving her hand a squeeze in return before turning his attention back to the story his brother was retelling. When dinner was coming to an end, Marcus had stood up, softly clinking his glass until he had everyone's undivided attention.

"Okay, so, I know everyone's probably itching for some dessert and hot chocolate, yes, I'm looking at you two giggling in the corner," he laughs, pointing to his kids, "Now, I don't want to drag on too long here, but I did just want to thank you guys for being here, even though this isn't our big dinner yet, but I'm still feeling pretty lucky tonight. I have my mom, Bobby… thank you for making her happy. To my wife, who's everything to me and more, who gave me the best kids I could've ever asked for. To her parents, thank you for allowing me the chance to marry this wonderful woman you've raised." He pauses, turning toward his right and glancing down to give Harvey and Donna a smile, "And to my brother, and now his girlfriend. Harvey, I never thought the day would come when you would finally bring a girl home."

Donna looks over at Harvey then, noticing the way he was fiddling with the napkin on his lap, trying his best to avoid looking at her or Marcus.

"I knew you were whipped by how you spoke about her on the phone the other day, but man, to say she's a keeper is an understatement. Donna, I don't how you do it, I know it must be a full time job to keep up with all his bulls- bull crap," he clears his throat when his wife sends him a warning look, "so the only reason I can come up with for you staying by his side, and coming all the way up here with him… is that you must really love him."

She swallows back at his brother's words, trying to wane out a smile as she notices Harvey glancing at her for a fleeting second out of the corner of her eye.

"So, congratulations, you two. Hopefully this will become a tradition and we'll soon be adding to the table," he sends his brother a wink, missing the way Harvey's face pales and continues to fidget under the table. "And Donna, welcome to the family. I know we'll be seeing more of you in the future. To family," he cheers, raising his glass in the air. The rest follow suit, large smiles on their faces as they raise their glasses.

Donna lifts her glass with her hand shaking just slightly, downing the rest of her wine in one gulp. Her forehead creases with worry when she looks to her left and notices Harvey's face paling further, his eyes trained on his own barely touched drink.

"Harvey-"

"Hey, Donna, want to join us girls outside for some dessert and drinks while the guys do… whatever it is they're going to do?" Katie laughs, already standing up.

"Uh, well-"

"Come on, Harv, I think I do have some of that fancy crap you like to drink so much stored away somewhere," Donna watches Marcus clasping a hand on Harvey's back, shaking him out of his daze. He shares a look with her then, almost waiting to for her to say something before he's nodding, giving his brother a tight-lipped smile.

"Yeah, Katie," Donna sighs, returning her attention to the younger brunette. She watches Harvey slumping off with his brother and the two older men to the family room, catching the way he glances back at her one more time before disappearing out of sight. "That sounds great."

...

Donna wipes her hand on the kitchen towel, waving a goodnight to Katie and Lily with a wide smile on her lips. After dinner,and Marcus' speech that had set her on edge, _t_ _hough not as much has it had set Harvey,_ she had gone out onto the back porch with Lily, Katie, and Katie's mom. The four of them had drunk their fair share of wine, munching on a couple of eclairs Katie had made. Worry and guilt had been gnawing at her since departing from Harvey… she knew something was off, his demeanor having changed after Marcus' speech. And she knew she had her own set of guilt eating at her, what with Harvey's brother welcoming her to his family, already expecting them to come back next year with a ring and a possible little Specter on the way.

The day had started taking its toll on her, but she was glad that the other women hadn't prodded any further, instead she took the chance to ask Katie questions and she was thankful the younger woman took charge and proceeded to share her own life story. Soon enough, all four women were half drunk on wine and chocolate, poking fun at the men inside and sharing stories of their college years. The only interruption made was when Katie snuck off to help Marcus tuck their kids into bed, before she returned to continue their anecdotes.

By the time they had ventured on inside, the house was quiet, and Harvey was nowhere to be found. The worry she had suppressed for the past couple of hours had returned, but before she could set off to find him, she was waltzing into the kitchen to help Lily and Katie clean up. Katie's mom had ventured off to meet her husband in their own guest room, and she guessed Bobby had turned down early as well.

Now, Donna found herself alone in the kitchen, the house around her eerily still. Her smile had lessened just slightly, but her body was still humming with the four glasses of wine she had. Turning off the last light in the kitchen, she heads in the direction of the living room to head upstairs, and before the notion of having to share a bed with Harvey begins to hit her, a familiar figure stops her in her tracks. Taking a step closer into the large living space, she finds Harvey sitting in front of the crackling fireplace, his back to her. Without having to think twice, she lets her feet guide her to him, his face illuminated by the glowing fire and the lights from the large Christmas tree sitting in the corner.

"Hey, stranger," she greets him, taking the last few steps until she's seated next to him, pulling her knees up to her chest in the process.

Her soft voice makes his lips curl on instinct, his head turning to meet her gaze in the dimly lit room, "Hey."

It's then that she notices he held a mug of something steaming in his hands, "What you got there?" She muses curiously.

Harvey raises his mug, "Hot chocolate." He chuckles when she raises her eyebrows in confusion.

"I have- so many questions."

Harvey shakes his head, raising the red mug to blow on it before taking a sip, "The kids had wanted to make hot chocolate, remember?"

"I do, but that mug is still hot and I was just in the kitchen, so unless you recently received the power of invisibility…"

"You were in the bathroom," he starts to explain, taking another sip, "And after drinking the crap my brother thought was good scotch… I went to re-heat the hot cocoa the kids had made before they went to bed."

Donna nods, "So, this is you nursing a hangover before it hits you?" Before he could reply, she's reaching over, her eyebrows raised at his surprised expression. Keeping her eyes on him, she takes a sip right from his mug, smirking when his mouth drops at her action. "What? It's not like we haven't swapped spit before."

Harvey thanks whatever greater power was at work in that instance, grateful to not have been taking a sip when she said that, because he was sure he would've bathed himself in scalding hot chocolate. "Are you… _drunk?"_

Donna chuckles, handing him back his drink, "Drunk? No. Tipsy? Debatable."

Harvey shakes his head at her antics, switching his attention back to the fireplace. They remain silent for a while, watching the ambers crackling before them. A few moments go by before Harvey heaves out a sigh, turning back to face Donna. "I'm sorry, about earlier."

Her eyebrows furrow at his words, "Earlier?"

"You know, earlier, when we, uh…" he shifts in place then, moving his hands around as a way to explain.

Donna had an inkling to what he was talking about, but so much had happened between them in the last couple of hours, she couldn't be sure what he was referring to exactly, "I'm gonna need a couple of more vowels here, Vanna."

Harvey tilts his head at her reference, letting out another sigh before spitting out the words in one breath, "When we nearly knocked each other over… _naked."_

"Oh… _that,"_ Donna chortles, wordlessly stealing his mug again before taking another sip, "It's fine. I mean, it's not like I haven't seen any of it before," she side-eyes him, humming into the mug.

An unexpected laugh bubbles out of him, exhausting his best efforts to not overreact to her blunt response, "God woman, you sure you aren't drunk?"

Donna mirrors his mirth, handing him back the mug, and she's suddenly caught off guard with how normal this feels with him, sitting in front of a fireplace, talking, lightly flirting, _sharing a mug of hot chocolate._ "No, I only had four glasses."

" _Only four,_ she says," Harvey playfully mimics.

"Hey now, it was- cold, I needed something to warm me up."

"Most people would drink hot chocolate for that," he raises his mug to her.

"Well, I'm not like most people," she scoffs with a half shrug, snatching his mug and drinking the rest of the chocolate, smirking when he pouts with a childish _"hey!"_

"Yeah," Harvey sighs dramatically after a beat, his lips still pouting in faux disappointment as he takes the mug from her hand and deposits it on the carpeted floor in front of him, "I've noticed."

"What?" She frowns when he chuckles.

"Nothing, I mean, you've got a little," he extends his hand out to her, giving her a pointed look when she nearly flinches before relaxing again. Slowly, he wipes the brown milk mustache off her upper lip, smirking when her eyes darken at his move, "Got milk?"

"Smooth."

"Thank you."

They share a light chuckle, the only noise filling the room besides the low crackling of fire. "How's your finger?" Harvey asks after a minute of silence.

Donna raises her left index finger, showing him her band-aid, courtesy of him, "I think that kiss really helped, it hasn't hurt."

He swallows at her words, voice lower when he speaks again, "Good."

Donna nods, looking away for a moment before turning to face him again. "I uh, had a talk with your mom earlier."

His head shoots up at her words, "You did what? What did you talk about?"

She musters up everything she had in her to not break down laughing at his horrified look. Instead, her eyes comically widen, and she puts her best acting skills to test, "Oh, the things she told me… I mean, I had no idea, that you… I was just so surprised that you would do that."

"Wait…" Harvey pauses, trying to study her expressions under the glow from the fire alone, "are you doing that thing you always do where you pretend to know something, trying to get me to cave about something, but you really don't know anything and you're just baiting me?"

Donna stares at him stoically for a moment, extending her lack of response for dramatic effect, "…maybe."

Harvey shakes his head, watching the flames from the fire dancing in her eyes in mischief, "I'm just glad she didn't show you any of my baby pictures."

"Oh no, that comes tomorrow," they share another smile before she clears her throat, "No uh, we had a good talk. She thanked me," at his quizzical look she clarifies, "for getting you to go see her, to forgive her." She omits the part where his mother told her he had called her someone _"very special"_ that admission alone still making the hairs on her arms stand on end.

Harvey nods, "Yeah, well, she's right."

Donna studies him for a moment, his demeanor returning to that of his earlier one and she feels her heart aching just a bit. "Hey, you alright? After dinner, after Marcus spoke you seemed… I don't know, I almost expected you to pass out or something."

He lets out a long breath, eyes watching the lumber in the fireplace burning. Finally, after a few quiet moments, he turns back to Donna, "You know, I always had a plan in mind. Graduate from Harvard, work at a high-end firm, get myself a coveted position, maybe run the place one day… make it to the top, you know?"

"And you did," she reminds him with a soft smile.

"Yeah," he nods, "but, I don't know, in the very back of my mind, despite all the… nights I had, all the uh, _women,_ I fooled around with, somewhere deep inside? I always thought I'd get married someday, settle down, maybe have a kid or two if persuaded enough," he chuckles, but the smile fails to reach his eyes, "I know, sounds unbelievable coming from me."

Donna shakes her head, her hand coming to rest on his arm, "No, it doesn't."

He eyes the way her thumb moves against his arm, and he swallows back at the contact, their day having been filled with too many touches and kisses, more than they've shared in the last twelve years, "I just- I thought it would've happened by now. I mean, for fuck's sake, my kid brother got to have the typical suburban cheesy, picket fence, wife and two kids life. All's missing is a golden retriever and a cat to boot."

"You don't like cats."

"So not the point, Donna," he retorts, his lips quirking at her attempt to lighten the mood. "Anyway," he sobers up again, "that's why I lied to him, told him I was seeing someone when he was teasing me about not having anyone in my life for _'yet another year'."_

Donna nods in understanding, his reasoning for asking her to join him suddenly coming to light. She knew he had gotten annoyed with his brother, had panicked and gotten upset and made up a lie on the spot because he was bothered by his words, but for all the things she liked to think she knew, there were still some aspects about her boss's life she still found she was in the dark over.

She sways on the spot, hugging her knees closer to her chest as she watches him watching the fireplace with half a daze in his eyes. There were too many words she wanted to share, but found herself she couldn't brave them out, four glasses of wine in her system or not. _What happens after this weekend? What are you going to tell your brother? Your mom?_ She knew he was bound to get phone calls, asking about their status, interrogating him on when he would grow the balls to ask her to marry him already, they had more than alluded to that already. But she couldn't muster up the courage, and she didn't want to tarnish their moment or do anything to worsen the solemn look he held in his eyes.

Instead, Donna found herself squeezing his arm, looking into his chocolate eyes when he looked over at her, "You'll get it," she manages to croak out, suddenly too aware of how vulnerable her voice sounded. At the raise of his eyebrows, she clears her throat, inching closer to him, "A family of your own, you'll have it one day. The whole package."

She blinks back a few times when he only stares at her, suddenly growing too hot and light-headed over the way his eyes rake over her form, almost as if he were looking straight through her, trying to decipher the meaning in her words. "How can you be so sure?" He finally asks.

Donna half shrugs in response, ignoring the sudden stinging in her eyes when she whispers her next words, falling out of her with natural ease, "I'm Donna, I know."

A signature Harvey grin stretches his face, and he places his own hand on top of hers, "Thank you, Donna," he whispers, "And not just for that, but- for everything. For coming here, for putting up with my family and having to… pretend we're… together."

"It hasn't been hard," she confesses quietly, "I think your family's pretty great, and… it's comfortable. With you."

His breath hitches at her words, but he tries to school his features, a jab falling from his lips on reflex, "Because I'm so handsome?"

Donna rolls her eyes, glad for his need to break the ice, "Whatever you say, hot shot." She stands up then, extending a hand down to help him up, "Come on, it's getting late."

" _It is_ late," Harvey throws back, letting her lead the way upstairs.

"My point exactly," she quips. They walk up the rest of the stairs in silence, trying their best to tiptoe down the hall lest they wake anyone else in the Specter home. Reaching the door to their room, Donna turns the knob, swinging open the door to let them inside before closing it again, doing so as quietly as possible.

They stay rooted to the spot for a moment, awkwardly finding each other's gazes in the dark before they're shuffling around each other, Harvey turning on a lamp to help guide them. They take turns to use the bathroom for their nightly routines, changing into their pajamas in the process. Minutes later, they're both standing near the bed, Harvey donning a t-shirt and gray sweats while Donna wore a matching lilac set with little snowmen on it.

"So, uh," Harvey starts, his gaze switching from the bed to his secretary, "I could sleep on the floor," he offers at last.

Donna scoffs, "No way, I'm not going to spend the rest of the weekend hearing you complaining about your back pains, mister. We'll both take the bed," she reasons with a wave of her hand.

"You sure?" Harvey tries again, tentatively walking over to help her pull down the duvet.

Donna raises her eyebrows, pausing with a throw pillow in her hands, "What? You afraid I'll attack you in your sleep?"

Harvey scoffs, "Well now I am," he jokes. Donna mirrors his laugh with a shake of her head, both of them continuing to rid the bed of unnecessary pillows before they pull down the sheets. Donna slides in on the right side of the bed, watching in half amusement as Harvey hesitates before following suit, turning off the lamp in the process.

"Comfy?" Donna asks as soon as he's settled, noting how he keeps a nearly two feet of a distance between them.

Harvey hums in response, blinking back a few times before he finds her in the dark, "Cute pajamas, by the way."

Donna snorts, "Thanks."

"What? No compliment for me?"

"Your clothes are boring," she sighs, snuggling deeper into the pillow.

"I couldn't find my Santa Clause pants."

"Hmm, I always pegged you as having Grinch ones instead."

"You picturing what kind of pants I have, Paulsen?" He flirts.

Donna's grateful they were bathed in darkness so he misses the way her cheeks redden at his words. "So, what if I am?" She counters, reaching her foot out to bump against is.

"Geez, woman, your feet are freezing." Donna lets out a loud laugh, her eyes widening when he scoots closer and plants his hand over her mouth, "and you're going to wake the whole damn house."

When her chuckles subside, he slides his hand off her mouth, noting how much closer they were lying next to each other now. She sobers up then, the day's events once again hitting her in full.

"I had fun today, uh, the snowball fight was… unexpected."

"Yeah," Harvey nods, his mind immediately going back to the kiss they shared. The kiss _he_ initiated.

"You know, until I fell."

"And took me down with you," he reminds her, now bumping his foot against hers. She squeals in surprise, his own cold touch catching her off guard. He catches her arms, preventing her from her continued squirming. "You're oddly _rowdy_ before going to sleep."

"Hmm, not that tired."

"You know, I think my family may like you more than I do," he jokes after a beat.

"I _am_ pretty lovable," Donna agrees, "but, they're pretty fond of you too," she whispers, softly touching her hand to his cheek. When she feels his face creasing under her hands, she goes on to elaborate, "your mom, she completely adores you."

Harvey swallows back, the mention of his mother still rendering him a little flustered, "What'd she say?"

"Well, after she told me she thought I was pregnant… yeah," Donna nods at his perplexed look, her eyes finally settling in the dark to see him completely, "she uh, she told me that you would've been happy, that you've been so good with Hailey and Jack, that you'd be a good dad."

"She said that?" Comes his soft response, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Yeah," Donna nods, shifting closer to him now, "and she's right, you would be." They stare at each other in the dark for what feels like an eternity, their feet still tangled together. It's odd, how intimate they're being after years of little to no physical contact, an unspoken agreement after their other time. Now, after today, even with all the touching, she feels as if she merely got a taste, only dipped her feet into the waters of what could've been, _what could be…_ But she tampers down the rising yearning she keeps feeling bubbling up in her chest, taking over every thought control and desire that was once deep rooted in her bones, suppressed and hidden away in an attempt to protect her heart, and his.

"Donna," his voice breaks her out of her thoughts, and she's staring into his dark eyes once again, the air around them having grown thick with palpable tension. She feels herself growing hot then, their feet stilling in a soft linger as her hand stays rooted against his cheek.

"I think we should go to sleep," comes her weak response, inching closer to him in the dark.

"Yeah," he breathes against her, and she shivers at the way his hot breath lights her skin on fire, "that's probably a good idea."

"I mean," she swallows, "we have to wake up early," her heart stutters when he's a mere inch away now, his lips almost grazing hers.

"We do," he agrees, bringing his arm to rest over her body.

"Harvey," she nearly whimpers then, feeling herself gravitating closer to his magnetic pull. Before he could respond, they're meeting each other half way, their lips colliding in a bruising kiss. They remain frozen in time for a moment, lips locked as their hearts quicken, finding a twin rhythm to make up for the lack of oxygen going into their lungs. Harvey moves first, gliding his lips over hers gently before pulling at her bottom lip. His soft tug is what wakes her up from her haze, and suddenly she's following suit, sticking her tongue into his mouth in a delicious slide, eliciting a groan to leave him. He's cupping her cheeks next, pulling himself up until he's hovering over her, angling her head to deepen their kiss just slightly.

The move makes her let out a throaty moan, her legs widening on reflex when his leg moves between them. She hisses against his lips then, and he swallows back her whimper when she rocks into him as a mere response, needing to alleviate the ache that settles low in her. His lips detach from hers, nipping at her jaw before cascading down to her neck, his tongue coming into play as he sucks on her pulse point.

" _Harvey,"_ she mewls, the daze in the back of her mind starting to clear ever so slightly.

He only hums against her, sliding his left hand under her pajama top, feeling her muscles jumping under his touch.

"Harvey, _wait,"_ she tries again, the fog now easing with his hands caressing her skin. She bites back the moan reverberating through her when his hands reach the underside of her breast, and she wills every ounce of strength left in her to pull his hand down, her voice stronger when she speaks, "Harvey no, wait _stop."_

Her words suddenly sink into him, and he's pulling back in an instant. Their chests are rising and falling with every heavy breath they take, the sounds of their breathing the only noise in the otherwise still night, "What's wrong?" He pants, taking a hand to push back the strands of her auburn hair, feeling her sweat-soaked skin beneath his fingertips.

"This isn't- we shouldn't-"

Harvey frowns, shifting ever so slightly above her, trying not to crush her, "Why not?"

Donna only shakes her head, her next words bringing a vile taste to her mouth, "Because it's not- it's not right, we're not- we're in your brother's house, Harvey. We're- we have to go back to work on Monday, we have to- we still have tomorrow and Christmas to get through. This shouldn't happen."

He visibly deflates at her words, his chest tightening with an all-too familiar ache and he momentarily pretends he didn't just feel his heart sinking.

"Donna,"

"No, Harvey. We're not- _this isn't real._ We came here to appease whatever need you felt to prove something to your brother, to your family. I'm not- We shouldn't let this happen. It'd be a mistake, and you know it."

His hands clutch against the sheets beneath him, jaw tightening as he fights against the stinging in his eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. He pulls himself off of her then, moving to his earlier spot on the far side of the bed, heaving out a sigh.

"You're right," he croaks out after a couple of minutes of heavy silence, "I'm sorry."

Donna feels her own eyes prickling with tears, and she's once again grateful they were bathed in darkness, lest he see the tears that manage to trickle down her cheeks, "It's fine," she whispers. She forces herself not to look in his direction, knowing it would only break her and she would be crawling into him again, pulling him down for kisses and telling him to never stop. She sniffles into the dark then, shifting until her back faced him, screwing her eyes shut as she let more tears fall, soaking the pillow beneath her. "Goodnight, Harvey."

She waits a beat before letting out a shaky breath, her hand coming up to press against her mouth, trying to suppress the sob she could feel bubbling inside. Just before she could succumb to sleep, she feels him shifting behind her, his muffled words letting her know he too was facing away from her, the thought alone making her heart shatter a little. "Goodnight, Donna."

…

 **AN: can't wait to hear your thoughts :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I know I keep saying it, but I'm just immensely overwhelmed by the collective positive reviews I've been getting here and on twitter and tumblr. I can't stress how much I appreciate all the feedback and support. Hope you guys enjoy this update xoxox**

 **Ps: you think korsh is hiring?**

 **…**

The first sensation that welcomes her is warmth. Not the kind that shakes her out of sleep with an uncomfortable heated hold, but the one that lets her stir into the start of the day with a welcoming hug. She frowns then, feeling the unmistakable arm draped around her, keeping her still. Eyebrows furrowed, Donna blinks into the still dimly lit room, now bringing in sheaths of light from the drapes that cover the windows.

The hand over her remains still, and it's then that she starts to feel the steady breath behind her, the soft rhythm of his heart beating in time with her own, but it's his familiar scent alone that truly wakes her from her sleep-induced state- sending her heart into overdrive.

 _Harvey._

Memories from the previous night flash before her eyes like a film reel, chunks piecing together with his voice overlaying each clip like a gentle song- a reminder of what they did, _what they almost did._

 _Whispering in bed. Inching closer to each other until they were melded as one, sharing sweet kisses that turned desperate instantly, trying to fulfill a mere need to have each other at last._ But then she had stopped him, the day's events having sunk in to the point where she could no longer tell what was real and what was pretend.

Donna swallows back in that moment, trying to breathe through the tightening in her chest, thinking of ways to untangle herself from his hold without waking him, without having to face him.

She hadn't needed to see his face through the dark to know he was hurt when she told him to stop, the way his voice cracked having haunted her throughout her dreams. But she couldn't let them go there, despite how badly her very bones ached to have him. She kept telling herself it was for the better, that she only saved them from the pain of having to face reality in the morning and when they returned to work in a few days. But her reasoning did nothing to dilute the ever-growing pain she kept feeling rising in her chest, crushing her and making it nearly impossible to breathe without feeling a sharpness contract with her every inhale.

Donna breathes through the sudden nausea that creeps up, closing her eyes shut before opening them again in a futile attempt to wish away the tears that wanted out. In a cautious move, she places her hand over his, swallowing back when she feels the comforting warmth that radiated through him. Just when she starts to lift his arm, he's stirring behind her, expelling a quiet yawn and she stills.

"Oh, shit, I'm-"

"It's fine," comes her weak reply, cursing herself when she can hear the despair in her own voice.

"Donna," she feels him shifting behind her, sitting up on the bed and she finds herself following suit after heaving out a sigh. Gathering up as much courage to face him that morning, she turns to look at him and wonders how she doesn't break down under his very gaze. They remain still for a moment, the weight of the silence around them starting to take a toll on her conscious, and she suddenly finds herself swinging her legs to the side.

"I'm going to change."

"Donna, wait," she curses his sudden need to explain or talk through anything they do, finding irony in the fact that now she's the one unwilling to let them clear the air.

"Your family will be waiting with breakfast," she reminds him gently, picking up a couple of layers from her opened suitcase before venturing into the bathroom, not bothering to wait for his response.

Harvey slumps his head back against the headboard, ignoring the dulling ache that starts to reverberate up his spine at the move. A mixture of guilt and hurt begin a tug of war in his mind, and he wonders if he pushed her too hard the night before. _But she had kissed him back._ He kept replaying the events of the previous night, reminding himself how she had flirted, skated the line with him by the fireplace, drinking out of his mug and giving him too many sly glances. He closes his eyes when he feels the first waves of a migraine forming, swallowing against the throbbing in his heart that matches the one in his head. He could've excused every touch and kiss they'd shared before, blamed it on their game for pretense, _even though he knew deep down the mask he'd put on for his family had long since slipped._

He didn't know what to make of her words from the night before, each one driving the knife deeper into his chest and making the confusion in his brain sprout to great heights.

 _This shouldn't happen. This isn't real._

Did she not think he thought this wasn't real for them? Or did she genuinely not want them to happen? Because she only does see him as a friend, a really good friend she'd be willing to do anything for _except become his everything._

Harvey shakes his head, simultaneously hoping his doubts and that ever-growing fear and feeling of deep anguish could diminish if he could just forget about her, about _them_ for even just a second.

Making a final decision, he swings his legs over the bed, limbs feeling heavier with every step he takes. He tries to ignore the sound of the shower running then, trying not to think of her being in there now, while images of her nearly exposed to him the day before kept flashing back.

 _"God, Specter, get it together,"_ he mumbles under his breath, picking out his own clothes for the day before heading out into the hallway bathroom, needing to distance himself from the redhead currently a few feet away. He dreads having to play another game of charades when he wishes they could cease the game, gather her in his arms, and tell her he just wants to stop pretending.

…

Breakfast had been just as awkward as either imagined, both trying their best to avoid any kind of eye contact whilst trying to keep up appearances for everyone's sake. They'd sat next to each other as they had the night before, and except a low muttered _"please pass the juice"_ they'd barley uttered two words to each other. Katie's two sisters and their husbands had joined them that morning, along with each of their kids. The three sisters had all but taken hold of Donna after breakfast, giving Harvey a teasing _"we're stealing your girl away for a bit"_ before leading her into the den, a handful of mimosas in tow.

"So…" the oldest, Annie, began, "I'm dying to know, and I'm sure these other two are as well… how amazing is Mr. Lawyer in the sack?"

Donna gapes at the brunette, blinking away the surprise as she tries to form words, "Um, excuse me?"

"I have to say, I've been wondering the same," Katie half slurs, already on her second mimosa, "And I'm going to take advantage of my buzzed state to dig into all the gory details."

The youngest of the sisters, Linda, merely nods in agreement. Donna shifts on the couch, eyes shifting around her automatically, half expecting to see Harvey show up, but no one else was around. She thought she had seen him heading in the direction of the family room with Marcus and his two brother-in-laws earlier, and she felt a deep sickening in her stomach at the grim look she'd seen on his face. She looks around the room then, staring at the three expectant and half tipsy sisters, waiting for her response.

Donna clears her throat, "Well, I- don't really know how to respond to that," she chuckles nervously, finally taking a sip of her mimosa.

Annie groans, and she could already tell she was the most rambunctious of the siblings, "Oh, come on, we don't need _all_ the gory details… okay maybe we do," she giggles, her two sisters following suit, "but really, Donna, just anything… is he great? Is he horrible? Should we start looking for a replacement or does he- _more_ than suffice?"

Donna nearly chokes on her drink at the woman's words, trying to render in as much control in that moment. She could feel yet another headache beginning to seep into her, and she tries to school her features so as not to lead them on, "Oh, he's- great, really."

Linda frowns behind her glass, "That didn't sound convincing."

"I don't really know what to say," Donna laughs, internally rolling her eyes and wanting to leave that very room. The last thing she needed after her and Harvey's _almost_ … was these three women baiting her on how her _boyfriend_ was in bed.

"Just give us anything," Katie encourages, eyes growing wide in anticipation and Donna bites back a laugh at her apparent tipsy state.

Sighing, the redhead wracks her brain to come up with an answer to appease the women in front of her, "Well, if you must know," she takes a full swing of her mimosa this time, knowing she needed the liquid courage for what she was about to say, "let's just say our very first time involved… whipped cream."

The three women let out simultaneous gasps and Donna nearly winces when they erupt into giggles, Annie going so far as to fan herself with her hand.

"Well, I wasn't expecting _that,"_ she laughs.

"Jesus, it took my husband and I at least a couple of weeks before venturing into the kinky stuff and you pulled out the whipped cream on your _first night?_ " Linda squeals.

Donna nods, mustering up her acting skills to provide the girls with a smirk, "Yeah, well, it was Harvey's idea."

"Wow, I am never looking at my brother-in-law the same way again," Katie snorts.

"But, other than the whipped cream, I mean… is he… _generous?_ Does he let you- you _know,_ before he does?" Annie inquires, sitting at the literal edge of her seat.

Taking another sip of her mimosa, Donna nearly chokes at her words again, trying to cover up her cough with a laugh, "Oh, well-"

"And exactly how well-endowed is our Mr. Hot shot lawyer here?" Linda gushes.

 _"Linda,"_ Katie scolds with a shove, yet it falls short when she starts giggling too.

"What? Is he as… _big_ of a, uh, lawyer as I hear he is?" The youngest of the three continues.

Donna gapes at the three again, suddenly feeling like she was back in college and hearing ridiculous and too many personal questions being thrown around. She shifts on the couch again, bringing a leg up to sit on, attempting to prolong the inevitable. Her mind wanders then to ten years in the past, and she tries to suppress a groan with a bite on her lower lip, "He is," she breathes out at last, clearing her throat when her voice comes out too hoarse, " _very_ generous."

"And…" The three say in unison, anxiously awaiting her response. Donna shakes her head, starting to become amused as she downs the rest of her drink in one go, already feeling the slight effects of the alcohol, providing her body with a delicious hum.

"As for the other… _thing,_ Harvey is…" she swallows back again, her mind drifting back to the day before, literally running into him after he had come out of the shower, completely dripping and chiseled in every necessary place, "He lives up to the hype… _and then some,_ " she finds herself giggling like a schoolgirl then, following the other girls' pleased howls.

They continued laughing for a long while, giggling every so often when one looked at each other. Deep down, Donna found the whole ordeal ridiculous and not something she particularly wanted to engage in at the moment. Talking about her and Harvey's hypothetical sex life- _outside of their other time-_ and providing details of exactly how… _evolved he was._ But the other part of her started to let herself lose, engaging in some _not so_ innocent girly time, and their laughter was becoming contagious that she couldn't help but join in on the fun. Plus, the fact that she had barely eaten anything at breakfast was helping the alcohol course through her system at a faster rate.

"Okay okay," Katie breathes out after a moment, "I do have to say, you two are about as adorable and possibly, _a little cheesy_ , as they can get," she awes.

Donna sobers up at her words, her smile fading slightly, and she hopes they couldn't suddenly see through her, despite feeling exposed in that moment, "Yeah, well, we've known each other for a long time," she says quietly.

"How long have you known each other?" Annie prods.

Katie steps in to answer before Donna could, "Oh, they've been together for five months but have known each other for what? Twelve years, right?"

The redhead nods, waning out a weak smile, "Yeah, twelve years."

"God, you guys must me so in love," Linda sighs, a far-away look in her eyes, "Do you guys plan to get married? Have kids?"

"Uh well-"

"I mean, I'm sure it will happen," Katie adds, "you should've seen these two yesterday out front, having a snowball fight and then making out like a couple of teenagers."

"I-"

"When do you think he'll propose?" Annie joins in, all three sisters completely unaware of the growing uneasiness rising in Donna.

"Uh, you, knows, I would love to answer all of these questions, but I just remembered I had to talk to Harvey about something, so if you'll excuse me," Donna gives the girls what she hopes is a genuine smile and not one as forced as she felt she was providing.

Linda chuckles, watching Donna's retreating form, "Talking, huh? That what the kids are calling it?"

Donna turns to give the girls a tight-lipped smile, her head turning to face in front of her again as she finally lets out a complete roll of her eyes. She walks down the small corridor of the Specter home, stopping just short to let out a much-needed breath. She could've taken the inappropriate questions, the playful jabs and innuendos they were throwing her way, but the second they delved into asking her about how in love they were, when they were going to get married… she couldn't take it anymore and had to leave before she felt the beginnings of a dizzy spell taking over.

She clutched her chest then, willing the uneasiness in her to settle, the ache and guilt that kept brewing to stay at bay. She heaves out a sigh, walking back in the direction of the family room when she hears her name being spoken.

 _"So, everything okay in paradise between you and Donna?"_ Marcus' unmistakable voice booms through the wall. Donna takes a step further, peeking her head around the corner to see Harvey sitting next to Marcus, the older Specter slumping against the black leather couch, looking every bit as miserable as she felt. She knew she shouldn't listen, should march herself upstairs to continue chiding herself, but she found herself unable to move.

…

"So, everything okay in paradise between you and Donna?"

"What do you mean?" Harvey gruffs from his place on the couch, shifting slightly.

"I mean… you guys were practically avoiding each other at breakfast. Everything alright with you two?"

"You noticed that? Did anyone else?" Harvey sits up straighter, cursing himself for how desperate his voice sounded.

"Well, I know _I_ did, though I don't think Katie or mom did, seeing as how those two were engaged in a conversation with her sisters. Seriously, man, what's going on?"

Harvey studies his brother's face for a moment, noticing how gone was the teasing glint in his eyes, the annoying tone he had carried throughout the previous day. He sighs then, wondering how the hell he went from talking about cars with his brother and Katie's brother-in-laws, to him and his brother talking about his relationship with Donna. He glances at the other two men in the room, noticing how they were now focused on their phones.

"It's- nothing."

"Bullshit," Marcus replies instantly.

Harvey rolls his eyes, "No, everything- is fine, I just- I just did something to upset her, but it'll be fine. We'll be fine."

"But you don't really believe that, do you?"

Harvey tilts his head at his younger brother, "When did you get all- Dr. Phil on me?"

Marcus shrugs, "Katie makes me watch."

Harvey shakes his head, trying to once again will his headache away, "No offense, but I don't really feel like relaying the details to my younger brother right now," he huffs, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Fine, you don't have to give me the gory details, but do you know how you're going to fix it then? Whatever it is that you did to piss off your girlfriend? I mean, it _is_ Christmas Eve…."

Harvey shakes his head, both as a response to his brother and to himself, suddenly second guessing himself for giving his brother any kind of incentive to start doubting his relationship with Donna. He suddenly felt like an idiot, prolonging this game of pretense for his brother, for his family, all who thought he and Donna were well on their way down the aisle someday. He swallows back then, the pain he felt from the previous night at Donna's rejection returning ten-fold.

"I screwed up," he finds himself saying at last, voice hoarse and broken, "I- I feel like I crossed a line, and I don't know how to fix it."

"Well, do you love her?"

Harvey snaps his head up at his brother's words, surprised he would even voice them out loud when he already thought he'd known the answer. "I-"

"I mean, I know you do, I've seen the way you look at her, you talk about, her. Questions is, how much do you love her? What would you be willing to do to fix- whatever the hell it is you don't want to tell me you did?"

"I do," Harvey croaks out after a moment, eyes cast down as he fiddles with his hands, "I love her more than anything."

Marcus nods beside him, his lips curling slightly at his older brother's words, "Well, then you'll figure it out," he clasps his hand on his back.

Harvey shakes his head, "I'm just not sure how we'll move past this, how to tell her-"

"How to tell her what?" Marcus furrows his eyebrows, increasingly becoming confused at his brother's words.

"Nothing, just- I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly good with the words," Harvey lets out a slight watery laugh.

"Hmm, yeah, I _have_ noticed." They share an amused smile, Harvey's a lot smaller than Marcus' before they let a silence overcome them in the moment.

"You know," Marcus continues after a beat, "I don't know much about Donna, but from the way I see her looking at you, glancing in your direction when you're not looking, I know she loves you just as much. I mean, girl's been by your side for over a decade, dealing with all your bullshit. If that's not love, I don't know what the hell is, man."

"Yeah, well, sometimes I have a hard time believing how she could," Harvey mutters, looking down at his shoes again.

"Dude, you really need to stop beating yourself up over this. Go talk to her, make up before dinner tonight. I don't want you guys moping around so close to Christmas," his brother jokes, nudging Harvey with a playful shove.

Harvey's lips twitch at his words, shaking his head at his brother's antics. "You know, sometimes I think she could do better than me, deserves a hell of a lot more than I can give her," he confesses after a beat.

Marcus stays quiet for a moment, letting his brother's words sink in, "And what is it that you're willing to give her?"

Harvey responds without missing a beat, the words falling easily, "Anything she wants. Anything she needs. Everything."

…

Donna blinks back against the stinging that arises, her throat constricting with the words she just heard.

 _I love her more than anything._

 _What is it that you're willing to give her? Everything._

She feels her hands shaking, that familiar tightness in her chest returning with a vengeance and before she realizes what she's doing, she's turning around, speed walking her way down the opposite hall, and opening the front door. It's when she's standing out on the porch does she realize she forgot her coat, the bite of the cold now seeping into her, driving tiny knives against every crevice. She knows she should turn around, walk back inside to grab her coat, but she doesn't want to risk bumping into anyone right now, not Harvey, not anyone else.

Donna takes a moment to breathe in the freezing air, bringing her sweater-clad arms to hug herself close. It's then that she notices the porch swing to her right, a blanket draped over it. She shuffles the few feet to sit down, bringing over the blanket to cover herself with it, cursing herself when she realizes the blanket is just as cold as the bench below her. Still, she stays, not ready to face what waited for her inside. She closes her eyes, trying to breathe against the sharpness of the cold, rendering in all her strength to try and make sense of everything that had transpired.

Waking up to Harvey cuddling her after their night. Her talk with Katie and her sisters. Overhearing Harvey's talk with Marcus.

 _Anything she wants. Anything she needs. Everything._

 _"Damn you, Specter,"_ she curses under her breath, bringing up her hand to wipe away a tear that found its way down her cheek. She sniffles against the too cool breeze that blows past, making her hairs stand further on end. To say that she was confused would be an understatement. She knew Harvey loved her, he had told her such just before she decided to leave him to work for Louis, but he never did answer her question.

 _Love me how?_

Still now, he never elaborated, but she was Donna, and she _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt _how_ he loved her. But that nagging feeling kept returning, one she had tried to suppress since the day before, one that made her push him away just the previous night. They were under a facade, putting up a show for his family, because _he_ asked her to. And after he had confessed to her last night that he had dreamed about a life with someone- to get married and have kids… to have _more_ than what he had now, she was starting to wonder if he was merely living out a fantasy, and not jumping into something he truly wanted, outside of the walls of pretense.

She didn't doubt that he loved her, was possibly in love with her, but she also wasn't certain that he wouldn't bail out on her the second they went back to work, that he would realize that maybe this fantasy they shared- this make believe life they shielded themselves with was nothing but a smoking mirror, and he would run away screaming the second they set foot outside the house come Christmas.

Her head swivels to the side then, hearing the door creak open.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were- I'll leave." She watches as Harvey makes an awkward shuffle, opening and closing his mouth like a fish underwater before turning back around.

"No, it's okay," she finds herself saying, her teeth clattering in the process.

"Jesus, Donna, why the hell don't you have your coat on?" His forehead creases with growing concern as he steps closer into her space, his own body sheathed with his black coat.

"'m fine," she sighs, picking up the blanket to show him, "got it covered, or rather it's got me covered," she internally cringes at her lame joke.

He tilts his head at her, "You want me to grab your coat?"

The redhead shakes her head, "No, no I'm good. I promise," she emphasizes when he gives her a weary look.

"Okay," he nods, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets, his eyes now drifting to the snow that fell in increments, painting the lawn in white.

"You can sit, you know," she mumbles after a second, watching in half amusement as he avoids looking at her, also suppressing a sadness she knows she was the reason for.

"You sure?" He breathes.

Donna merely nods, lifting the blanket off of herself, offering him a spot. He hesitates for a moment, sending her a questioning look, but resigns and sits down with a sigh, pulling the blanket over himself as he inches closer to her, but trying to avoid touching her.

"I'm sorry," Harvey laments after a few too many moments of silence.

Donna sighs, her eyes trained on her hands, fiddling with the gray blanket that covered them. "Don't be."

Harvey shakes his head, "I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine, you don't have to-"

"No, I do," her head shoots up to him on instinct, his voice making it impossible for her to ignore.

"I don't- I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I never meant to- to cross that line with you last night."

Her eyebrows furrow at his words, "You didn't mean to?"

"I- I really don't know what to say here, Donna," he laughs, the noise falling out of him humorlessly.

"And I have no idea what _you're_ saying, Harvey," she shoots back.

"Why were you so upset last night?" She nearly gapes at him for his bold question, swallowing against the intensity of his gaze, not used to the bluntness between them. She shakes her head then, needing to look away.

"I told you… we shouldn't have let that happen."

"Why not?"

"Why didn't you let anything happen when you came to my apartment and you told me you loved me?"

He doubles back at her outburst, the words catching him off guard and he knows she doesn't need to elaborate any further.

 _You know I love you Donna._

 _Love me how?_

"You told me, _and I quote, 'It would've been a mistake and you know it',_ so yeah, I spared us the embarrassment of any mistakes, Harvey," by the time the words fall from her lips she notices she's crying, her voice breaking with every breath and could almost feel his own heart doing the same.

"I-"

"Yeah," she laughs, "you never know what to say, do you?"

"Donna,"

"I stopped you last night because we're only here under some kind of charade you wanted me to be a part of, a show to put on for your family to prove that you won't be a bachelor for life. Well, the charades end the day after tomorrow, and we'll be back at work. I'll go back to being your secretary, and you'll be- my boss and that's that. See? It wasn't that hard for me to explain."

"Then why did you kiss me back?" Harvey inquires after a beat, his jaw set as his gaze bores into her own.

"What?"

"Last night… in bed… that wasn't for anyone's benefit, but our own. Why did you kiss me back?"

"It was- a reflex, you kissed me earlier and I kissed you back, last night was no different," she expels in a heady breath, thankful that her voice sounded steadier than she felt.

"So, that was it? It was just a reflex, but… you didn't feel anything?"

"What is it that you want me to say, Harvey?"

"The goddamn truth would be nice!"

She scoffs out a laugh, turning to look at him, "That's rich coming from you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Donna shakes her head, trying to keep her frustration at bay, uncontrollable hurt simmering inside her at his every word, "You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what? I'm just trying to figure out what the hell it is that you mean. I feel like we're talking a lot here, but we're not really saying anything."

"Yeah, it's the Harvey goddamn Specter special, all words but no meaning. Not unless I'm a member of the Specter clan."

"Excuse me?"

"You really can tell your brother everything, but not me?" She blurts out, noticing the way his eyes widen, and it's then that she realizes what she just let him know.

"You- heard me talking to my brother?"

"I- I'm going back inside," Donna throws the blanket off herself, the material bunching up on Harvey's lap as she stands.

"Donna, _wait,"_ Harvey hisses, nearly stumbling in his rush to get to her, grabbing her hand to stop her from going inside.

"Harvey," her lip quivers at his touch, not daring to turn around.

"Donna, talk to me," he pleads, tugging on her hand gently until she turns to face him.

"What?" She musters up all the courage she could to stand her ground, stubborn enough to prevent the tears from falling, ignoring the electricity she feels from his touch alone.

"If you-" Harvey swallows thickly, his heart pounding at the mere thought of his next words, "If you heard- what I said, what I told my brother, then why didn't you-"

"Because! You told _him._ You can you tell him, but not me?"

"I thought I already did," Harvey growls, agitation filling him to the brim.

Donna scoffs, "Yeah, that you told me that to make me feel better, remember?"

Harvey groans, watching her slip away to go back inside before he's catching up to her again, grabbing her wrist, "That's not what I meant, _and you know it."_

 _"Do I?"_ She counters, snapping her hand back, "because I'm really starting to get confused here, Harvey. I can't seem to tell what's real or not. What you're saying or doing for your family's benefit or for my own?"

"I- it wasn't for anyone's benefit," he grits out.

"I'm not sure I can believe that," she shakes her head, the rest of her tears free falling now.

"Donna,"

"No, Harvey, I still don't see how you can so easily tell your brother you love me, but not me, and whatever scenario that comes to mind as a reason doesn't bode well for you," she laughs dryly, crossing her arms, "You either _can't_ tell me because you're scared of God knows what, or you _won't_ tell me because that was only for his benefit, just another added simulation in this weekend's game."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know you would want to hear it!" He bellows, silently hoping no one inside the house could hear them.

Donna shakes her head, "And why the hell would you think that?"

"Because of your rule!" He snaps, his voice breaking at the words. Donna cants backwards at his admission, the cold prickling her skin suddenly melting away and she finds herself unable to breathe properly.

"My- _rule?"_

"Yes, your goddamn rule! But then- then last night, yesterday, I don't know," he deflates, his voice lowering an octave, "in the kitchen, at dinner, out in the snow and then by the fireplace… I thought we-" He rakes his hands through the short strands of his hair, scrubbing the exhaustion and irritation off his face in the process.

"You thought we what?" She prods, her own voice lowering.

Harvey shakes his head, "I thought there was- I thought we had… _a moment,_ I don't know, I thought maybe you felt the same, that we-"

"Harvey," his head shoots up at her voice, surprise to see her standing closer, even through the blurriness his vision was providing him. Her hands land on his, and his eyes automatically drop down to their joined hands, feeling the small weight of her delicate ones in his.

"There was," she swallows, her red rimmed eyes searching through his, "there was a moment."

"Then why does it feel like you're pushing me away? Why does it feel like I'm imagining it all?"

Her fingers tighten over his at his words, feeling his own pain shooting through her and making the light-headedness return in full. "You're not," she exhales, the bite from the cold returning and she feels herself shuffling closer to him, to his warmth.

"I don't know what to say here, Donna. I don't know what-"

"What do you _want_ to know, Harvey?" Her gentle voice interrupts him, eyes still trying to find the answers behind his eyes.

"I want to know," his throat bobs against the fear that rises, "I want to know if- if you love me, if you- love me as much as I love you? _How_ I love you?"

She takes a step closer to him, her hands clutching his tighter in hers as her eyes match the challenge in her voice, "And _how do_ you love me?"

Harvey opens his mouth to speak, his head dipping in her direction when the front door swings open.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds," Lily giggles, unaware of what she had just walked into, "but the family's all taking some Christmas pictures and we're missing you two."

"We'll be right in, mom," Harvey wanes out a smile, hoping it reached far enough to his eyes to look convincing.

Lily sends them both a final smile and a wink before waltzing back inside, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"We should- we should go inside," Donna sniffles, wiping away the now dry tears on her cheeks.

"Donna,"

"We'll talk, later, Harvey," she sighs, giving him one last look before entering the warmth of his brother's house. She stops short in the foyer, taking a breath as she plasters on her best smile, utilizing every acting technique in the book to hide the ever-growing pain she could feel rising to the surface.

Back outside, Harvey closes his eyes, swallowing against the set of knives he could also feel driving into his trachea. With one last shaky breath, he follows Donna inside, already knowing full well that no matter what happened between them, there was no way they would be going back to the way things were come Monday.

 **…**

 **AN: Love to hear your thoughts as always :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Still so overwhelmed over all of the responses to this story. I never thought it would get this much rave and attention and I'm just so humbled by it. Truly, thank you -ali xoxox**

…

"Okay, you two, go stand in front of the Christmas tree and I'll snap some shots," Lily waves to them as soon they're meeting her in the living room.

Harvey frowns, looking around the near empty living space, "Where's everyone else?

"Oh, they all scattered away. I got all the pictures and more I needed from them, before I realized… I don't have any of you and Donna."

Harvey sighs, watching the too-exuberant smile his mother was giving him, holding a vintage looking film camera. He looks to Donna then, her lips turned upward in an attempt to keep up pretenses, but the light didn't reach her eyes, and he ached to take her somewhere private, finish their earlier conversation and ease any lingering doubts they both held.

"Harvey?"

"What? Oh, sorry, okay," he gives his mother an apologetic smile, shaking off the thoughts that had made him daze. He turns to face Donna who's already walking toward the older woman.

"Where do you want us, Lily?"

"You know," Lily looks around the living room, her thoughts turning in her mind, "Why don't we go outside? I realized I took everyone's pictures inside, but there's something about that natural light and I don't want to miss it before it gets dark," she smiles at the pair, not waiting for their reply before she's heading to grab her coat on the rack by the door, stepping outside when she's fully covered.

"You okay?" The words slip out of him in reflex, watching Donna as she places her own dark green coat and gray beanie, a forlorn look in her eyes.

Donna scoffs, her focus on zipping up her coat, "Define 'okay'." He figures it to be a rhetorical question as she slips out the door without giving him a second glance. He expels another breath at her retreating form before walking out into the cold himself, already seeing Donna standing next to his mother just below the steps of the porch.

"I was thinking you could stand right over there in front of those pine trees," his mom points toward a bushy area of evergreen, and he lets an involuntary smile slip as he watches her own excitement come to fruition.

Wordlessly, Harvey places his hand on the back of Donna's coat, leading her toward the area his mom was pointing to, silently thankful that she didn't flinch away at his touch. They turn around upon reaching the set of pines, standing awkwardly as they wait for Lily to snap a picture.

"Well, you have to more than stand," his mother laughs with a hand on her hip, "strike a pose, just act natural _together,"_ she emphasizes.

Harvey looks down at Donna, swallowing back once more when her piercing hazel eyes meet his, still tainted with the redness her tears had brought on earlier.

She could sense his own trepidation, noticing the way his eyes asked for permission, "It's fine, Harvey," she whispers, snaking a hand around him before facing the camera. It takes her gentle squeeze against him for him to snap out of his thoughts, wrapping his own arm around her before looking up and giving the camera what he hoped looked like a genuine smile.

They remain frozen in place as Lily takes a couple of pictures, blurting out a couple of instructions every now and then, telling them to turn just a little bit to the right, to tilt their head up….

"Okay, why don't we try a couple more poses?" Lily gives the pair an encouraging nod.

"Mom…" Harvey all but wines. He suddenly feels like a child, being told to pose for pictures he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to take. But more than that, he could feel the uneasiness radiating from the redhead next to him and he didn't want to prolong any discomfort she could be feeling. Not after their earlier discourse, with her words echoing through his mind, creating more confusion than easing any worries.

" _Harvey,"_ his mother warns in a tone that gives him déjà vu from when he was a child, "One day I plan to show my grandchildren, _your_ children these pictures, and I would like to show them more than just one shot, now, let me just grab more film and I'll be right back."

Harvey sighs as he watches his mother running up in the house again, turning to Donna as soon as she's gone. He frowns when he sees her hugging her body close to herself, her lips turning a slight blue hue.

"You cold?"

Donna snorts, "It's only five below, but I'm fine."

His lips thin at her words, watching her hands digging a hole into the pockets of her coat. Before he can stop himself, he's stepping closer to her, "Here," he pauses for a mere second before encapsulating her in a hug, barely catching her gasp of surprise.

"Harvey," she breathes against him, her lungs beginning to hurt for reasons beyond the shrilling temperatures around them.

"Just go with it," he hums, "I don't care if you're pissed at me right now, you're freezing so just let me keep you warm, so you don't turn into a popsicle."

His words bring out an unexpected laugh, the noise falling out halfheartedly, but she finally lets herself melt into his touch, trying to render in the butterflies as she breathes him in, a mixture of his aftershave and something so familiarly _him_ that it makes her lightheaded.

"Oh, _now here's my shot_ ," Lily exclaims as soon as she's made sure to take the picture, her presence having been missed during their embrace.

"Are we done now?" Harvey huffs, pulling away from Donna and his eyes automatically land on her, glad to note some color had returned to her cheeks and lips.

"Maybe one more, I promise," she insists, waiting for them to pick another pose.

"Mom…"

"It's fine, Harvey," Donna reassures, looping her arm around him as she had done earlier. His own arm wraps around her, the entirety of his body tingling against her gentle touch.

"Okay, one… two…"

At the count of three, Donna pulls herself up the few short inches separating them, planting her frosty lips against his cheek. The shutter of the camera goes off in that moment, capturing Harvey's own shell-shocked smile.

"Oh, I think we may have just found ourselves next year's Christmas card," Lily gushes, hugging the camera back to her chest as she ushers the other two back inside.

Harvey's physically paling at his mother's words, choosing to ignore them as the two women walk in front of him, his eyes set in a wide stare as his cheek still hums with the ghost touch of Donna's lips.

"I'm sure they turned out wonderful, Lily," Donna complements as soon as they're both back inside, taking off their coats in unison.

"I'll send them to you once I've developed them," Lily places her hand on Donna, a new excitement climbing in her, "You know, photography isn't that quite different than painting, and I've found myself quite taken by this art. Which reminds me, you two should come up more often, perhaps we can grab some lunch some day after one my classes?"

"Oh, well, things are really busy at work, mom," Harvey manages to excuse quickly, sharing a guilt-ridden glance with Donna.

His mom waves a hand at him, "Oh, I understand, it doesn't have to be right away. But as soon as you both can get away, know that I would love to see you, show you my art studio," she directs the statement to Donna, eyes gleaming with hope.

"That would be lovely, Lily," Donna answers with a wayward crack in her voice, successfully avoiding Harvey's gaze as she feels her own set of guilt clumping in her throat.

"I'm looking forward to it," Lily gushes before turning to her son, "Now, Harvey, do you mind helping me out in the kitchen with something? And Donna, if you could help out Katie wrap some last-minute gifts upstairs? I swear those two spoil their kids rotten," she laughs.

"Uh, sure, yeah, no problem," Donna manages to stutter out through a nod. She walks over to the stairs with one last glance at Harvey, noticing he was looking just about as confused and played on as she felt.

…

"Okay, what was that all about?" Harvey follows his mom down the corridor that led to the kitchen. He could hear his brother and the kids all the way in the family room, guessing they were playing some sort of charades game with the rest of the family by the noise alone. He almost laughs at the irony of it.

"What was what about?" Lily inquires, setting up a couple of bowls and plates, motioning for Harvey to follow suit to pile them on the counter.

"That… stunt you pulled with me and Donna just now."

"There was no stunt, I needed help in the kitchen and Katie needs help wrapping gifts," his mother shrugs, pulling out utensils and already folded maroon colored table napkins.

"Katie has two sisters and a husband," he stops to give her a pointed look.

"You saying I'm lying?"

"It wouldn't be a first," her son shrugs. Lily ceases her movements then, head swiveling in his direction and watching as his own words reach his ears, "I'm sorry," Harvey gruffs, hands coming up to rub at his face, "I'm just-"

"You two got into a fight," she simply states.

His head snaps up, "Marcus told you?"

"No, Harvey, I'm your mother," Lily explains by way of answer, "And yes, so, I sent off your girl upstairs just so I could get you to talk," she gives him another nonchalant shrug.

"About what?" He sighs.

"About whatever it is that happened that put that very look you're currently sporting," she points to him with a wooden spoon that lay on the counter.

"What look?" Harvey grumbles.

His mother laughs, shaking her head at her own son's stubbornness, "The same one your girlfriend has been wearing for a while now," she takes a moment to let her smile fade, tilting her head in his direction, "Harvey, what happened?"

"Nothing, it's- okay, it's _not_ nothing," he sighs at her incessant look, "but it's fine, I just- have to figure out how the hell to fix things." His hands land on the counter, head cast downward as if the answers he needed were waiting for him below.

"Every couple fights, Harvey," his mother begins after a beat, "No relationship is perfect."

Harvey merely nods, his eyes still sunken, unwilling to look at her.

"Your father and I-"

"Mom, please don't- not now…" Harvey shakes his head, his hands gripping the granite countertop in an attempt to waver the reflexive frustration that bubbles up.

Lily sighs, "I'm just saying… even in the beginning, we had our share of miscommunications, nothing was perfect. But we always made up, we loved each other enough to see past through whatever it was that divided us."

"It didn't exactly bode well for you two," Harvey mumbles, finally daring to look at her eyes.

"That was different. You and Donna are not me and your father, Harvey. But what I _am_ saying, the point that I'm trying to make here… is that you need to talk, about whatever it is that's going on between you two. And especially now, what with it being Christmas and all."

Harvey scoffs, though his lips turn upwards slightly, "We _were_ talking, when someone decided it was a good time for family pictures."

Lily chuckles, "I'm sorry, son, but I don't regret taking those. Mark my words, you _will_ be showing them to your kids someday."

 _Kids._

 _Kids with Donna._

Suddenly his mind is a montage of mini versions of him and Donna. Running around their home, crawling into his lap at work, pretending to work while Donna laughs and takes pictures. He starts to wonder then if they'd have red hair, or strawberry blonde, or maybe even blonde… But in every scenario, he's with Donna, and they're each holding a mini them, looking about as happy as he could ever hope to be.

"Did your mind just go somewhere?" His mother waves the wooden spoon in front of him, a knowing smile on her own face.

"No, just- I don't know what to do, mom," he sighs at last, throat tightening with the images that flourished too easily across his mind.

"You won't tell me what it is that you're fighting about?" She gently prods, figuring it would be worth the shot to find out.

Harvey shakes his head, knowing he couldn't really tell her the whole story, "Just that we may or may not be on the same page right now, I don't know. Sometimes I think we are, but other times… I don't know. I don't want to say or do anything to mess with what we have, or what we could have."

Lily nods, only half understanding his current predicament, "Harvey, I may not quite… _understand_ what you two are going through right now, and frankly I'm a bit surprised considering how you two were yesterday, but… I do know that you love her," she nods when his surprised gaze lands on her, "I can see it whenever you look at her, and I know she feels the same. Why else would she be here, with you and the rest of your family?" She grabs his hand when he looks away again, prompting him to remain focused on her, "If you love her… you just have to show her how much, _tell her_ how much. The worst thing you can do is keep holding onto the hope that maybe things would just magically work themselves out. You have to put in the effort, even if you're scared."

"But what if-"

Lily shakes her head, gripping his hand a little tighter, "If you don't take a risk, then you won't get your reward. I think you, of all people, should understand that."

Harvey merely nods, heaving out a sigh as he straightens up, blinking away any excess emotion behind his eyes, "Thank you, mom." Without second guessing himself, he's stepping into her arms.

"You don't need to thank me," Lily chuckles, placing a kiss to his cheek before he pulls away, "Just make sure to give me at least one little redheaded grandchild I can spoil," she playfully demands, emitting a laugh from her son's lips.

"I can't promise anything," he turns to continue setting up the plates they'll be taking to the dining room, trying to count how many of each they'll be needing. He turns to his mother again, watching as she begins to gather some wine glasses, his voice quieter when he speaks, "but I'll try."

…

They hadn't been able to gather a moment for themselves. After their impromptu picture taking, with Harvey helping his mother and Donna helping Katie, they ended up staying apart for the hours that followed. Harvey had ended up assisting a too excited Marcus with dinner, although it mostly ended up with Marcus cooking and swatting Harvey's hand away, the older Specter rolling his eyes, but secretly enjoying the time he got to spend with his brother as they reminisced and joked like they used to.

"So, have you two kissed and made up yet?" Marcus asks him, tending to the turkey in the oven.

"Not exactly," Harvey grumbles.

"Dude, what the hell are you waiting for?"

"She's hanging out with your wife and your sister-in-laws, I'm not about to interrupt that crazy fest."

"You calling my wife crazy?" Marcus retorts, a playful tilt to his voice.

" _No,_ the other two. They get everyone around them all riled up, lord knows what they're talking about now," he mumbles, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Marcus chuckles, "Probably you."

"Excuse me?"

"You know, exchanging… _stories,_ and comparing each of their significant others…" he lets his voice trail off, raising an eyebrow at Harvey, hoping he'd get the hint.

"Oh, _that,_ " Harvey rolls his eyes, suddenly becoming self-conscious, wondering what the hell Donna was telling the other three women.

"You worried?" Marcus smirks, now stirring a sauce he was concocting.

Harvey scoffs, "No, I'm just- I don't know how I feel about being… _talked_ about, is all, and now," he trails off.

Marcus shrugs, dipping a spoon into his sauce, "See, if only you'd gotten your head out of your ass sooner and talked to her, maybe you wouldn't have to be so… _not_ worried," he hands the spoon over to Harvey, "here, try this." He watches on baited breath as he tries it, studying as his face scrunched up.

"A little too bitter for my taste."

…

Donna lets out a tired breath, slumping back against the door to the bedroom as the weight of the day catches up to her. She'd had to succumb to another merciless encounter with the three sisters, barely escaping their continued prodding questions unscathed. Luckily, after a round of twenty questions to further delve into her non-existent sexual relationship with Harvey, she had successfully turned the questions around, and was surprised to see their excitement when she'd shown interest in their own marriages.

After having managed to help wrap most of the gifts, she'd excused herself and made a beeline to the guest bedroom, claiming she had to start getting ready for dinner. And it hadn't been a lie, despite how dinner was still a few hours away, but she wanted the time alone to delve into her thoughts, _and avoid a certain lawyer._

It wasn't enough that they had yet to resolve anything after their almost slip-up the night before, but after having to either improvise some half-lies or divert some too-personal questions, she couldn't stop thinking about Harvey's words from earlier.

 _Last night… in bed… that wasn't for anyone's benefit, but our own._

 _I thought maybe you felt the same._

The quiet mantra of his voice in her mind only grew with time, and she kept mulling over a scenario where she hadn't told him to stop. What if they'd crossed that line? The one thing she never questioned was his love for her, and despite her incessant prodding, she knew deep down he loved her in as much every way she loved him too, and yet… there was that little voice in her head that kept telling her this was a bad idea, that they _worked together,_ that he would change his mind or get scared as soon as they went back home.

It was no mystery Harvey Specter had his share of relationship commitment issues, most of which stemmed from his parents' own failed marriage. Though part of her grew guilty over not placing more faith in him with his now mended relationship with his mother. Still, it seemed to be a reflex, shying away from him as he'd done a couple of times in the recent past just to protect themselves from any more inevitable pain.

And just to add to that ever-growing guilt, they'd had to submit to Lily's request and take pictures like the couple they were supposed to be- _the couple everyone thought they were._ Her hand raises to her lips then, a subconscious move to ease the tingling sensation that lingered from her abrupt kiss. It'd been innocent enough, considering what they'd done the day before, _in front of his family and in private,_ but still, it did nothing to dilute the rapid beating of her heart. And she wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that her family kept falling for their bait, or that it all felt too natural and _right_ despite the vile taste that grew on her tongue every time she remembered that none of it was real. _Even if it felt like it was._

Donna shakes her head, hoping to alleviate the migraine that had lingered throughout her second day at the Specter home. Pulling her sweater over her head, she begins to take off the rest of her clothes, walking toward her suitcase to peer inside. She mentally runs through the mired of options she brought, trying to suppress the fact that she was struggling to find an outfit solely based on the one person she couldn't stop thinking about.

…

She hates how glad she is when she manages to somehow successfully avoid running into Harvey before dinner. After taking a long shower that ended up with her silently crying as the waterfall of hot water cascaded down her back, she'd mustered up every ounce of strength she held, stepped out of the shower and gotten ready to face whatever the remainder of the day would provide. Donna had then made her way to the family room, soon finding out that she had just missed Harvey, her supposed boyfriend having used the opposite hallway to venture up the stairs to change for dinner.

Time seemed to speed up after that. She kept herself busy helping Lily and Katie make the final touches around the dining room table, plastering on a facade of joy she was sure Lily was starting to read through. The older woman kept sending her glances, a desolate smile on her own face with eyes too curious and concerned.

"Have you spoken to Harvey yet?" Lily asks quietly, having waited until Katie left the room to help the kids get dressed.

Donna had been taken aback at her question, despite her own suspicions that his mom knew something was awry, "Uh, no, not yet," she looks down at the table, a combination of red, silver, and crystal aligning each place setting, "Did he- say something to you?"

Lily shrugs, "Nothing too specific, but that's Harvey for you," she gives Donna a small smile, "I do know that he's upset, that he's afraid to lose you."

Donna swallows back against the painful lump that threatens to spill out of her in a sob- a sudden sharpness plunging straight through to her.

 _He's afraid to lose you._

Lily places a hand on her own then, waiting until the redhead met her eyes, "He loves you, Donna, of that I'm certain."

"I know," she whispers, providing Lily with a watery smile that makes her lips quiver.

"And I may not know the full details of what happened between you two, but… when the moment comes, for you two to talk, just hear him out. My son is a stubborn man, and I know that most of what he went through and seeped into his adult life is my own fault-"

"Lily-"

"No, no, it's true. Even when he came to see me, to forgive me, it took us… a while to get to a mutual place. Nothing worth fighting for is ever easy, but if you love him… I'm not saying that's enough, but it's a start to let him in, to give him a chance."

Donna can only nod at the woman's words, not trusting her own voice at the moment to speak. Lily shakes her out of her thoughts when she wraps her arms around her, and she stills for a moment before relaxing into her welcoming arms.

"I know you two will fix whatever this is, and like I told my son earlier, I can't wait to be able to show my future grandchildren those pictures I took of their parents earlier today," Lily parts from Donna, watching in amusement as she gives her the same shell-shocked expression her son had given her earlier.

Donna breathes out a shaky laugh, the tightness in her chest turning into a fluttering as an overwhelming yearning for something _more_ began to blossom. "Thank you, Lily," she sighs after a beat, "for… everything."

"No need to thank me, just make sure to bring by your little one to visit grandma when the time comes," she gives Donna a playful wink.

Donna shakes her head, that fluttering in her stomach returning, "You really lack the subtly game, Lily."

"Something funny?" Harvey interrupts their shared laughter as he enters the dining room, gazing from one woman to the other in half amusement. His eyes linger on Donna's, not missing the way her own smile falters and she looks down to play with her cuticles.

"Oh, just some girl talk," Lily waves off, "You've got a real special one here, Harvey."

He waits until her gaze catches his, a fleeting moment that makes his lips turn up, "I know."

Lily looks between the pair before clearing her throat, feeling like she was overstaying her welcome, "Okay, well, I'm going to check on Marcus, make sure if the food's almost ready." With one last encouraging smile, she moves past them to head into the kitchen, leaving Harvey and Donna standing in an awkward silence.

"You look- beautiful," Harvey exhales after a beat, his eyes raking over her. She was dressed in simple black slacks with matching black boots, a crimson sweater hugging her chest.

Donna felt her own cheeks could match her sweater, his words catching her off guard and she berates herself for how long she waited for him to direct those words to her, "Oh, well, it's nothing, but thank you." She crosses her arms over herself, feeling uncharacteristically shy around him at the moment.

"Still," he takes a tentative step forward, "you do."

She wanes out a smile she's not sure reaches her eyes, the tightness in her chest returning at the mere way his eyes bore into her own, and she mentally curses herself at his uncanny ability to make her lose sight of any feeling.

"I uh," Harvey clears his throat, "was wondering if we could talk?"

Donna sighs, her hands dropping to rake her fingers through her hair, "Not now, Harvey."

He frowns, "Why not?"

She motions with her head and he looks back to the hoard of his family walking into the dining room, each holding a different dish, face dropping when he notices.

They navigate to stand behind their seats from the day before then, and Donna reaches down to give his hand a gentle squeeze, "Later, okay?"

Harvey merely nods, plastering on a smile to appease his family. After much scrambling and the kids fighting over with their cousins to see who would sit where, they all settle down in their seats, eyes immediately landing on Marcus who sat at the head of the table, just to the left of Harvey.

"So, yesterday I gave a little prelude speech, just wanting to thank everyone for being here, but today I decided to hand over the reins to my big brother," he clasps his hand on Harvey's back, giving him a too-giddy smile as he watches his brown eyes widen in something akin to fear.

"Marcus," Harvey growls under his breath.

"What? Just say a few words, we promise we won't bite. Well, unless you take too long, we're all starving here." His words elicit a communal laugh, and Harvey's fist clench under the table, sending his brother a mix between a death and frightened glare.

He feels Donna's hand reaching his under the table, his fists slowly unclenching under her touch on a reflex, "You'll be fine, Harvey," she reassures quietly, knowing he wasn't exactly keen on giving meaningful speeches, especially not in front of his family, most of whom he hadn't seen in a while.

Harvey resigns, turning to face Donna who gives him one more squeeze and a smile, and he finds himself momentarily awed at her ability to ease his nerves but set his skin and heart ablaze simultaneously.

"Fine, I'll make it short and sweet," he sighs, shifting in his seat as he decides he'd rather not stand and place a bigger spotlight on himself. "I uh, just wanted to say, on my brother's behalf because this _is_ his house," he mutters, evoking another set of chuckles, "I would just like to thank everyone for being here. It's not often we can all be together, especially me. I know it uh, it took me a while to… come back to this, but I'm glad I did," he looks toward his mom who mirrored his smile, "But more importantly, I wanted to thank the woman sitting next to me," he turns to Donna, catching the surprise shining in her eyes, "I would not be the man I am today without her, I know that for a fact. I'm lucky enough to have called her my best friend for over twelve years and now… I just hope she'll continue to stick by my side, for many Christmases to come, for- everything," he finishes in a near whisper. The room around them had gone silent, and he swears he could hear her heart pounding against her chest, her eyes having glossed over while her lips held a thin line.

"Damn, alright. Now I see what Donna sees in you, but maybe save the rest for you wedding speech?" Marcus playfully suggests, lightening the mood around them.

Harvey swivels his head around to his brother, giving him a half-ass glare. He shakes his head then, picking up his wine glass as he faces the rest of the table, "To family." The rest of the clan echo his words, clinking their glasses together when he turns to Donna again.

"To family," she whispers, clinking her own glass to his. He mirrors her gentle smile, heart setting in his throat as he notices the tears that threaten to spill from her eyes. Just as he sets his wine glass down, needing to turn away from her lest he interrupt dinner by pulling her to the side, he feels her hand on his thigh. His breath hitches momentarily, glancing in her direction again to see her focus is now on the food in front of her. Harvey swallows, glancing down at her hand before he inches his own to rest on top of hers, lacing their fingers together in a tentative move. His thumb runs circles over her creamy skin, feeling her shivering under his touch alone. He gives her one last glance, noticing the slight twitch to her lips, and suddenly his own are doing the same.

…

 **AN: thoughts are always appreciated :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you guys so much again for your constant reviews and feedback. Hope you enjoy this chapter. -ali xoxox**

…

Dinner had been a simultaneous blur and the longest hour and a half of his life. Harvey had poked fun at his brother, asking him if he had made food for the entire neighborhood and then some. The insult had come out playful, but the impatient part of him was starting to grow weary. Sometime during dinner, Donna's hand had slipped out of his, and the rational side of him knew it was for convenience, but he'd immediately missed her warmth and he was beginning to second guess every small sign she'd thrown his way. Once dinner was over and he'd noticed Donna had declined dessert, he seized an opportunity.

Most of the family had now scattered, the kids venturing off to the family room to eat their cake in front of the television, as the rest lingered in the surrounding areas, sharing drinks and jokes. He knew it was now or never, the possibility of her being taken hostage by the three sisters or even his mother to have her help clean up was too great a risk.

Harvey felt his palms growing sweaty then, discreetly wiping them on his pants as he looked over to his right, Donna having stayed by his side in the now near empty dinner table. She'd been conversing with Katie, but as soon as his sister-in-law left the table, he lunged.

"Hey, can we…" he motions toward the front of the house, his voice quiet next to her, his own ears turning red at their proximity when she turns to face him.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Donna nods, swallowing back the nerves that threatened to spill. They slide out of their chairs, and somehow successfully sneak their way through the sea of family members to the foyer, and Harvey thanks his lucky stars no lone family member reels them back in. Putting on their coats, they manage to avoid sending each other any glances, wordlessly zipping up before Harvey opens the door, following her out into the porch.

The night had brought an even colder front, despite the lack of snowfall, and he sees Donna hugging herself close even through the thick coat she donned. "Uh, sorry, I know it's a penguin habitat out here, I just wanted to get away from the noise, from- prying eyes and ears."

Donna nods, waning out a shaky smile as her teeth lightly clattered, "That's okay," she sighs, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. They remain in an awkward silence, the only sounds around them coming from the muffled laughter and Christmas music that was now playing from the inside of the Specter home.

"I wanted to give you something," Harvey finally speaks, shoving his hand into his pocket. Donna looks on with intrigue, not having expected that to be the first thing he'd tell her- not after a day's worth of missed chances and near confessions. She watches on baited breath as he digs out a small velvet box, about an inch in thickness. His hands play around with it for a moment, almost as if he were second guessing his decision to give it to her.

"Am I supposed to guess what it is?" She asks at last, the bite from the cold seeping into her bones, making her already low patience wear thin.

Harvey chuckles, the noise coming out too uncharacteristically nervous, "No, no sorry, I uh," he lets out an elongated sigh, willing his nerves to ease, "here," he extends his hand to give her the black box, and he doesn't miss the way she gives him a curious stare before she's reaching out to grab the small object.

"I thought you wanted to _talk,"_ she huffs out, holding the still closed box in her near numbed hands.

"I did, _I do,"_ he clarifies, "I just really need you to open that first. Please."

Donna's eyes soften at his low plea, and she finally glances down to the onyx box she held. With shaking hands- _mentally blaming the cold and not her nerves-_ she opens it, her breath hitching as soon as the silver pendant greets her.

"I know it's nothing- extravagant, but I also know you don't like anything too out there, but-"

"Harvey,"

"And if you don't like it I can return it, get you something else or-"

"Don't you dare," she croaks out, her left hand now covering her mouth, willing her lip to stop quivering. Her eyes remain trained on the pendant, and she brings her hand down to gently trace the numbers engraved on the piece.

Harvey feels his own eyes watering at her reaction, and he has to clear the emotions in his voice before speaking, "It's the day we-"

"Met," she finishes for him, her lips beginning to curl up.

"Yeah," he whispers, "and the back-"

"There's a back?" She quickly turns the small pendant, heckling out a watery laugh when it comes into view, "You're relentless, you know that?"

Harvey shrugs, swaying on the spot in almost shyness, "I couldn't not include the day you came to work for me." Her gaze finally shoots up to meet his and he nearly loses it at the emotions he sees dancing in her eyes, the string of porch lights making the gold in them flicker.

"It's- perfect," she whispers, her eyes drop down at the silver chain again and her breath is sharpening when the details of his present hit her in full. He'd gone out of his way to get two of their most important dates engraved on the rounded pendant. The present was simple enough- sterling silver and the size of a dime, but the gesture and meaning behind it set her heart rate on full throttle.

"Back then, at dinner," Harvey sighs, trying to gather himself, "I meant what I said," he waits until she's looking up at him again to continue, "I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for you, Donna, and I…" his gaze drops to the pendant she gently held in her hand, "I didn't know how else to show you, to tell you, I'm not… good with the verbal thing," he mumbles.

"You're doing pretty well so far," she voices quietly.

"Yeah, well… and you don't have to wear it, you know, but I just… I wanted you to have it, because you mean- you mean everything to me." Her grip on the small box tightens at his words, and she bites down on her lip to keep the tears that threaten to spill at bay. "I still feel like I'm gambling my way here, but I just needed you to know, _wanted_ you to know," he pauses for a beat, gauging her reaction, but more so to gather himself, willing the thumping in his chest to clear, "I don't want things to go back to normal when we return to work on Monday."

"Harvey-"

"I love you," he takes a step toward her, not missing the way her eyes widen slightly at the move and his words altogether, "I love you… in every way," his own voice has grown hoarse, and he's certain that the way her face starts to crumple up is adding to his own emotional instability. "And I know you… pushed me away last night, but I know what I felt coming from you, but even with that, standing here right now I'm terrified that I read you wrong, that you don't- want the same things I want."

"And what do you want?" She manages to breathe out, words coming out nearly broken.

His lips curl up ever so slightly as he takes another tentative step, "I want _you."_ When he sees her face slacking, he quickly continues, "Now, I know I don't have the best track record with relationships, and I know that's partly because I was always- keeping myself out of harm's way, but really I just know it was because none of them were you."

"Harvey…"

"You asked me how I loved you," he takes another step until he's half a foot away, her own words catching in her throat when he places his hands on her forearms, "My life changed the day I met you, Donna, and everyday damn day after that I've had to wonder what the hell it was I did to deserve to have you in my life," he chokes back the emotions that threaten to spill when he sees her cheeks being stained by her tears. He reaches up to wipe a droplet, his thumb lingering as her eyes flutter at his touch, "Then you came to work for me… and after… _the other time,_ I- I struggled to find that balance in my heart. Knowing we were never an option because of your rule, and despite what I said before, I never blamed you for that, and part of me wondered if it was the right thing to do, and maybe it was. Maybe we had to- go our own separate ways while maintaining a professional… relationship, and it became easy because I sure as hell was not about to let you go."

Harvey takes another gentle pause, his hand still cupping her cheek as to keep their visions aligned, "I never wanted to risk us being anything more than what we were. I had you in my life and for so long it was enough, but that was also something I kept telling myself because I never wanted to cross that line when you had that rule, I couldn't do that to you."

"What changed?" Donna chokes out.

Harvey furrows his eyebrows, "Changed?"

"Yeah, what," she sniffles past the ever-growing emotions, "what changed? Why here? Why now?"

"Because I couldn't stop imagining what my life would be like if we were to spend every Christmas together for the rest of our lives." Her tears were free falling now, no longer bothering to prevent their fall as they continued to slide down her cheeks. "I've had you in my life for the past twelve years, but I want… I want a future. And I know you still have your rule, but… this weekend, yesterday… I don't know, I thought we-"

"Had a moment," she finishes quietly for him, repeating his earlier words. Harvey nods, his lips tightening against the budding fear of what she would tell him, his mind flashing back to their previous night where she stopped him. Her hand reaches up to cup his own cheek, beginning a gentle caress against his cold skin, "I never considered breaking my rule," Donna begins softly, and she thinks he can feel her heart cracking at the way his eyes flutter close at her words, "I never considered it because… I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that- we'd screw things up."

"You mean that _I'd_ screw things up," he mumbles, but his voice lacked any bite.

Donna shakes her head, "Not on purpose, but we'd gotten to a comfortable place. We'd each- see someone and it was fine. We would return to work and everything was comfortable, I was your secretary, we held a banter, we'd fight, make up, and everything just… continuously cycled. It worked."

"And now?" He gently asks, swallowing back the fear of her next words.

Donna smiles, "I'm still scared, but…"

"But?" His eyebrows raise with gentle hope.

"I don't want to lose you," she breathes out instead.

" _You won't,"_ Harvey growls, pulling her closer against him.

"Harvey…"

"I don't want to push you, Donna. I don't want to force anything on you that you don't want, but if you're scared that I'll screw things up, I won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I don't want to lose you either," he chokes out, "Because I see a future with you. I see… a marriage, and… kids, a goddamn house like this with all the bells and whistles."

"But what happens when we go back to work on Monday? How do I know you're not going to- completely freak out on me, and tell me we should forget this weekend ever happened? How do I know you're not still living under a pretense, a fantasy you've managed to encapsulate yourself in because this is the life you wanted for yourself, the life you let your family see? How do I know this is really what you want and not what you think you want?"

Her words held enough weight on them that it makes his heart sink, the concern and desperation in her eyes alone enough to awaken his own set of fears. It amazed and frightened him then that for all she ever claimed to know, she couldn't seem to fully grasp how much he wanted her.

"Because I never had to pretend to be in love with you."

She cants back at his confession, and she begins to hear a ringing in her ears as his words continue to echo in her mind.

 _Because I never had to pretend to be in love with you._

Every ounce of fear and worry and doubt that had creeped up into her veins seems to dissipate in that very moment. He's looking at her in a way she only dreamed he would, in way she never thought he _could-_ all walls down, exposed and vulnerable without a touch of facade or forced charm. Just him. Just Harvey.

She's on him in an instant, arms winding around him, her hand still clutching the black box as she slants her mouth against lips. He freezes for a split second, but her body against his is enough to awaken his senses and he's holding her to him. Her lips move against him with practiced precision, nipping and tugging just gently enough that it makes him cup her cheek, deepening their kiss. He swallows her moan when he skates his tongue to meet hers, pulling her even closer to him until neither could tell where one ended and the other began.

"Donna," he breathes against her mouth, sucking her bottom lip before pulling away. He rests his forehead against hers, both of their chests heaving against the lack of oxygen in their lungs, "Donna," he repeats again, and suddenly she's wondering if her name was a question or a mere need to say it in the moment.

She places the palm not holding onto the velvet box on his cheek, making his eyes flutter open to meet hers. As soon as their vision connects, a spark is ignited and they're sharing twin smiles, rapid giddiness overcoming them both and suddenly he's reeling her back in, even more desperate than before. Donna pulls on the lapel of his jacket, snaking in her tongue to meet his at the same time. He groans against the move, sliding his hand down to rest on her lower back as she continues to work her mouth over his.

"I'm sorry," she breaks suddenly, panting against him.

Harvey knits his forehead, "About what?"

"About… last night, about-"

"No, no don't be," he shakes his head, hand tightening his hold on her, "You weren't ready, I shouldn't have pushed."

"You didn't push, I was just- scared and confused, but I _did_ want it, _want you_."

He swallows back against the intensity of her gaze, eyes shining under the lighted porch, "And what, uh, what are you feeling now?"

Donna shrugs, "Nothing I wasn't feeling before, I just… I guess I needed to hear you say it."

"That I love you?"

"That you love me, that… that this wasn't just a charade to you," she whispers, running her hand under his swollen lip, lightly tainted by her lipstick.

"It wasn't," he reassures, "That's why- that's why I was so… _off_ in the beginning, because it never felt wrong, it never felt… like I was pretending. And I was just trying not to let myself get in too deep."

"I know that now," she nods, giving him a lazy smile.

"Truth is," he kisses the inside of her wrist, "I've been in too deep since the moment I met you, Paulsen."

Donna grins, "So, you're saying it was love at first sight?"

"I'm saying I can't remember a time where I didn't feel this way about you," he whispers.

Her breath sharpens against the meaning of his words, and she feels her eyes welling up for what felt like the hundredth time that night. "You know, for a guy that keeps saying he's not good with words, you're sure saying all the right things tonight."

His lips curl in a shy smile and he's leaning into press them against hers in a light kiss. "I meant… every… word…" he tells her between kisses.

"That was one hell of a speech back there, Specter," Donna murmurs, nipping softly at his mandible before pulling away. Her hands slide down his chest, but she keeps her closeness against him. "When did you get this?" She inquires softly, gazing down at the pendant that still sat in the velvet box before looking up at him again.

Harvey swallows, and she finds his continuous set of nerves almost endearing, despite finally being on even ground, "About a week ago."

Her eyebrows shoot up, "You mean around the same time you asked me to come here? To play house with you?"

"I never planned on giving you this in front of my family, if that's where this is going," he quickly reassures. His hold on her tightens and she briefly wonders if he's still afraid she'd run away from him again. "I got you this… because I wanted you to know how much you mean to me… and it didn't matter if you felt the same, or just- if you saw this as a romantic gesture or not. And truth be told, I wasn't thinking about it meaning anything romantic, to me it was just simple- I loved you and I wanted to let you know how much. Romantic… not romantic… those two days were single handedly the most important days of my life, and that's all that there was ever to it."

Donna felt pretty certain that the swarm of butterflies in her stomach doubled in size, and she resisted the urge to fight against the next string of tears that spilled from her eyes, "Can you help me put it on?"

It takes him a moment for her soft-spoken words to reach his ears, too caught up in the range of emotions washing through her face. His cheeks stretch into a smile and he nods in answer, taking the box from her hands to carefully extract the chain. He places the box in his pocket before he motions for her to turn around. Harvey moves her auburn waves out of the way and she holds her hair in place as he lifts the chain to place around her neck, easily clasping it closed.

Unable to help himself, he leans down to press a tender kiss on the small exposed area of her neck, letting his lips meet her freckled skin just long enough for her to let out a sigh. Donna turns around in his arms, her own shit-eating grin meeting his.

"Perfect fit," he whispers, looking down at the pendant that sat atop her coat. He watches her bringing her hand up, playing with the dangling rounded silver, tracing the numbers for the second time that night.

"You're damn right it is," she agrees, leaning up to cup his face in her hands again, giving him another bruising kiss. Harvey finds himself chuckling against her kiss, his own boyish glee bubbling up and their teeth clash against every nip and tug.

"Merry Christmas, Donna," he whispers once they parted.

"It's not Christmas yet, mister," she playfully scolds, their noses brushing against one another in an eskimo kiss.

"Hmm, might as well be," he sighs.

"God, I didn't know how much of a sap you could be," she chortles, shaking her head at his antics.

Harvey shrugs as he sways her on the spot, "You bring out the sap in me."

"Uh huh," she pecks his lips one more time, "but uh…" her fingers play with the buttons on his coat, "I just wanted to let you know that I do," she tells him softly.

"Do what?" He inquires, his hands caressing her back.

Donna sighs, biting down on her lip to prevent her own nerves coming to fruition, "Love you as much as you love me." She studies his expression with quiet trepidation and she mentally scolds herself for the irrational fear that seemed to keep itself at bay. His lips slowly stretch into a full grin then, and she almost lets out a giggle at the sheer realization that she can now freely kiss his prominent dimples. _So she does._

" _Now,_ who's the sap?" He chuckles as he holds her to him, their eyes alight with all the happiness they'd so far managed to suppress.

Donna hums against him, her expression sobering up, "Still you," she pecks his lips, her heart stuttering against her chest at the realization that she could do this now as much as she wanted _because she could._

"You want to go back inside?" Harvey asks after a beat, both of them still holding onto each other.

"Hmm…" she slides a hand down his chest, hiding her smirk as she watches his throat bobbing against the action, "you think your family will notice if we sneak away for a bit… or longer?"

"I think…" Harvey begins, voice shaky with her low timbre and darkened eyes, "that they wouldn't miss us."

Donna nods, bottom lip caught between her teeth in a way that makes his blood rush south and his skin set ablaze, "Good," she breathes, grabbing hold of his hand, "So, why don't we…"

"Oh, there you two are!" Their heads swivel to the now open front door, seeing Katie standing just inside as she peers her head out, "The kids have been looking for you two. Said they wanted _uncle Harvey and aunt Donna_ to tuck them in."

"Oh," Donna chuckles, "uh, yeah, of course, tell those two we'll be right in." Katie gives them a smile in response, closing the door as she disappears into the house again. Donna turns toward Harvey again, laughing at the slight pout on his face, "I guess we've been delayed."

"Hmm, my family has a sure-fire way to cock block every one of our moments," he huffs, taking hold of her hand as they walk back toward the front door.

Donna rolls her eyes, her lips still curled up, "Well, get used to it. What do you think it's going to be like when we have kids?" She quirks an eyebrow at him, opening the door to walk back inside. She doesn't have to look behind her to know Harvey was standing shell-shocked, gaping at the words that had fallen too easily out of her mouth.

…

"One more story, uncle Harvey _please,"_ Hailey's small voice pleaded, sitting atop her bed next to Harvey.

"Are you kidding me? We've already read you guys two stories _each,"_ Harvey playfully pokes his niece, evoking a giggle.

"But they were _really_ short stories," Jack, who was sitting on the other twin bed tries to reason. He looks up to Donna who was sitting on his bed in the same position Harvey was on the other.

"Uh uh, little man, don't think batting those baby blues will get me to cave. It's already past your bedtime." Donna ruffles the boy's head, laughing when he fixes her with a pout. She gets up then, depositing the books they had been reading to the kids on their book shelf.

" _Aunt Donna_ is right, you two. Aren't you supposed to go to sleep, so Santa can bring you guys presents or something?" Harvey follows the redhead in question, standing in front of the kids' twin beds.

Hailey lets out a dramatic sigh, "But we're not even tired."

"Yeah," Jack echoes, "we're not even-" a yawn interrupts his words and the older pair share a chuckle.

" _Right,_ okay, so here's the deal: the sooner you two fall asleep, the sooner Santa comes and brings you the presents you asked for, _and…_ " Donna turns to Harvey, "if you do as you're told, we promise to read you guys another story tomorrow before we leave."

"Promise?" The kids ask in unison.

"Promise," Harvey echoes, walking over to plant a kiss on each of their heads, Donna following suit. "Goodnight, you two," he whispers as he turns off the lamp, a smile forming on his face as the two snuggle deeper into their beds, effortlessly resigning to their exhaustion. Harvey follows Donna out the door, closing the door shut behind them.

"Okay, how the hell did you do that?"

Donna tilts her head, "Do what?"

Harvey waves his hands around comically, eliciting a laugh from her, "Do… _that,_ I pulled the Santa card, but it only worked when you did it."

Donna shrugs, "I'm the kid whisperer."

"Uh huh."

"But hey, you were no slouch either, I didn't know you had it in you- where did all those character voices even come from?" Donna inquires with a grin, genuine interest rising in her. They had spent the better part of the last hour reading stories to Harvey's niece and nephew, taking turns reading ones to each kid while the other listened. Harvey had surprised Donna when he had taken on character voices, exaggerating them at times just to have the kids erupting in laughter, and a part of her thinks he did it for her benefit too.

"Hey, you're not the only one with acting chops here."

" _Right,"_ Donna snorts before sobering up again, "Either way, you were pretty good with them."

"So were you," he whispers, a slow smile creeping into him. He sways on the spot then, a sudden shyness washing over him, "So, uh, you ready to call it a night?"

Her own smile fades at his words, "Oh, wait."

"What?" Harvey frowns.

"We promised your brother and Katie to help them put the presents under the tree, remember?" She whispers the last part, unsure if the kids were already in a deep sleep.

Harvey sighs, his annoyance with his brother growing as he nods, "Right."

"Come on, hot shot," Donna pulls on the sleeve of his sweater, leading him down the hallway toward the stairs, "we'll get the presents out of your car and then I'm yours for the rest of the night," she whispers against him.

"Promise?"

Donna grins, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss the pout off his face, "You can hold me to that."

…

 **AN: There's two chapters left of this story and then an epilogue. Thoughts are appreciated as always :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Firstly, I'd just like to give a fair warning that this whole chapter is mostly rated M, and it'll be the only M rated chapter.**

 **I would also like to dedicate this chapter to my favorite people- Elle and Etty- who never fail to make me laugh and give me all the warm and fuzzy feels. I almost didn't write an M rated chapter for this fic, but they encouraged (begged) me, and well, this 6+k smut fest was born. You can thank them.**

 **And as always, thank you to everyone for your constant support and feedback with this fic. It means the world. -ali**

 **Enjoy!**

…

The process to organize the array of presents under the Christmas tree hadn't taken too long, much to the delight of the impatient pair. After they had retrieved the bags of presents from Harvey's car, they helped his brother and Katie bring the rest from their bedroom, trying their best to remain quiet lest they wake up the kids. Harvey wasn't sure if it was genuine frustration, or if his patience was starting to dwindle, but his level of annoyance seemed to grow with each new set of presents they had to organize.

"You guys are going to need another house just for these presents," he'd mumbled.

"Just wait until you two have kids, you're going to be spoiling them to no end, big brother," Marcus had retorted, smirking when he saw Harvey's face paling at the words. He successfully avoided looking at Donna, already too overwhelmed with all the kid questions and comments his family had been throwing his way. And now that he and Donna were… _official,_ the prospect alone became more real, and he didn't know if he was excited or scared shitless.

After the presents were organized to Katie's liking, Harvey had taken hold of Donna's hand, leading her up the stairs after bidding the rest of his family a goodnight. The gesture had made her quirk her lips with an amusement that nearly matched the desire brewing in the pit of her stomach. They wordlessly made their way toward their room, both unwilling to share glances until they reached inside.

He'd had all the intention in the world to pin her against the door, slant his lips over hers and make her see stars, but the second the door behind them closed, reality set in and he froze.

An awkward heavy silence filled the room, the tension from their longstanding delays was palpable and Harvey swore he could hear the blood rushing to his head.

"Hey," he manages to rasp out, throat feeling like cotton. His fists clench by his sides, itching to hold her to him, but being unable to as a sudden shyness takes over.

"Hey," she whispers back, waning out a smile as she takes a tentative step toward him, "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just…"

"Are you having second thoughts?" Donna quizzes lightly, studying the way his throat bobs in her proximity.

"What? No, no, _I'm not,"_ he promises, finally landing his hands on her waist. "Are you?"

Donna shakes her head, hands sliding up his chest, "Definitely not." Their breaths mingle in the otherwise quiet room, eyes dilated and only fixated on each other as their noses brush.

"Donna," his voice is all honey, dripping with a desperate need to have her already, but he remains rooted to the spot. Her name is the only thought process that manages to spill out, and in that second, she's pulling him down for a kiss that bruises. Harvey groans into her mouth, swallowing her own moan when he snakes his tongue against hers, pulling her closer toward him. He'd wanted to savor the moment, kiss her languidly and slowly, relish each second of her against him, but they've waited too damn long and her fingers are raking through his hair _so fuck it._

He turns them around, pinning her against the door to elicit her own strings of expletives against his lips. His mouth parts from hers long enough to start a trail from her jaw to her neck, just as he'd done the night before. But unlike their previous excursions, her hands are holding him against her, urging him on.

" _Harvey,"_ Donna mewls when he sucks on her pulse point, tongue snaking out to play against her ivory skin and she shivers against the wet intrusion. He pulls back from her then, watching her mouth hanging open as she breathes through each wave of pleasure that shoots through her. Leaning forward, he presses a sweet kiss to her swollen lips, tugging ever so gently before he's pulling away, leading her toward the bed. It's a frenzy to rid each other of their clothes, hands working in tandem to pull off each other's sweaters, leaving Harvey shirtless and Donna in her bright red bra.

"Shit, Donna," he exhales, eyes trained on her plunging neckline that was covered in a sea of sunk kissed freckles, the silver pendant hiding just a few. His hands caress the skin of her now exposed waist, and his tongue peeks out to lick his lips at the sight before him. All he sees his red.

 _Auburn waves landing on her shoulder blades. Ruby lace holding her breasts prison._

 _Donna. Love. Passion. Need. Want._

Just red. _Just her._

"You need a moment?" Her voice is hoarse, amusement laced with the impatience that was starting to take its toll.

Her words snap him out of his trance, and he's carefully depositing her on the bed, quietly working to take off her boots and socks before doing the same to himself. He's on her in seconds again, moving her toward the top of the bed where her wild manes paint the white sheets in copper. His lips reside on her neck again, continuing his earlier ministrations with a fixed purpose. Harvey holds his hand against her, trying to keep her steady against her quickly quivering skin. The hand that lay on her stomach inches lower until he reaches the hem of her slacks, and he immediately feels her breath hitching against the action.

Donna arches her back as soon as he bites down on her skin, exhaling a heavy " _fuck"_ when he immediately soothes the area with his tongue.

"You okay?" He murmurs against her, now softly nipping against her creamy skin as his hand continues to slide down, slowly popping open the button of her pants. He stops when he takes hold of the zipper, pulling up to look at her. "Do you want me to continue?" He prods again when she didn't answer.

Donna merely nods, eyes hooded in the dim light of the room. She pulls his face down toward her again, swallowing away the growl when her tongue immediately slips past his lips. His hand finally moves, sliding the zipper down slowly before he's pausing again, chuckling when it evokes a groan of protest from her.

"Patience," he teases, pecking her lips before he moves down her body. With his eyes never straying from hers, he takes hold of the waistband of her pants, sliding the material off her body with her own assistance. He throws the offending material off to the side before he's hovering over her again, this time his lips finally meeting the valley between her breasts. "Exquisite," he sighs into her, nipping softly at her skin as he maps out each speckle that painted her body with his lips. He breathes in her scent- a mix of vanilla and spice and something so inherently _Donna,_ that it makes him nearly lose sight of what he's doing.

His hands roam over her skin, scalding her through every touch and press, fingertips dancing between ever cress and birth mark he met with a gentleness that juxtaposed his growing need. He trails his hand up to cup her laced cover breast, massaging the mass before sneaking his hand under it to tweak her nipple.

" _Shit,_ Harvey," she mewls, and before she can guide his head toward her, he's covering her breast with his mouth. Donna arches further under his touch, squirming with every suck and tug and swirl of his tongue against her. Blindly reaching behind her, he's able to finally slide the material off of her, exposing her fully to him.

Harvey groans at the sight, the low light of the room allowing him to see to her erect nipples. His mouth soon finds a pattern against her as he playfully tugs on one before switching to the other, giving each their own deserved attention. His hands aren't far behind, providing any one left unattended with another set of tugs and tweaks. Donna squirms beneath him, hands taking residence on his back, and her eyes sting with the precision and care in which he treats her. He soon finds himself addicted her to taste, and his lips begin a trail down her body, meeting her flat stomach before reaching the hem of her underwear.

He hovers over her covered centered, brown eyes nearly onyx as he looks up to watch her staring him down. He gives her a boyish grin that makes every cell in her body erupt into sparks, igniting every inch of her with peaked arousal. Keeping his eyes on her for a few more seconds, he's grabbing hold of the edge of her panties, sliding the red lace down with a tortured pace until he's able to fling it off to the side. Harvey settles over her then, utilizing his hands to part her legs, and he swears the scent of her alone makes him descend to nirvana. His hands massage her skin when he begins a playful nip against the apex of her thigh, trying his best to hold her against her writhing.

" _Harvey, I swear to God…"_ he keeps grazing against her core, teasing without actually touching where she needs him to the most, and his name is a low curse on her lips. She fights against the urge to clamp her legs shut against him when his smug of a smile slides against her skin, leaving a trail of wet opened mouthed kisses from her inner thigh to her abdomen and back again.

Sending her one more heated look, his mouth finally lands on her and she's curving her spine as a loud groan echoes through the room.

"Hey, you'll wake the whole house," he gently reminds her, licking her taste off his lips upon pulling back, "you have to be quiet."

Donna merely nods, sending him what he thinks it's a form of a death glare as her chest rises and falls. His mouth descends back to her in the next second, humming a tuneless song as he works his tongue and lips over every inch of her dripping center, utterly enraptured by the sweetness that meets his taste buds. "You've been wet this whole night?" He breathes into her in near awe, snaking out his tongue to tease the hood of her clit.

" _Fuck, Harvey,"_ she moans loudly, and he has to pause just to cover his hand over her mouth.

"I'm not going to be able to get through this if you keep being this loud," he hisses, watching her eyes dilating under his gentle command. He removes his hand when she gives him a firm nod, leaning down to give her a peck before he resumes his place between her legs. "I don't remember you being this loud last time," he muses before wrapping his mouth over her clit.

"That's because… _shit… you_ were… _oh fuck yeah…_ theloud one," she groans, trying her best to rein in the sounds that threaten to spill by biting her lip.

Harvey grins against her, lightly grazing his lips over her bundle of nerves as the memories of twelve years in the past come racing back, "Can you blame me? You were licking whipped cream off my-"

"Harvey, so help me God if you don't put that mouth to better use already…" Donna huffs, her chest moving with every breath she expels.

"Hmm yes, dear," he obeys. He grabs hold of her legs as she squirms with every lap, trying to prolong her pleasure as much as possible. Her moans were getting louder with each flick of his tongue and he kept his eyes trained on her thrashing form. "Donna," he warns, "you're going to wake the whole neighborhood."

" _Shut up,"_ she curses, reaching her hands out to rake her fingers through his hair. His nose teases against her most sensitive area, leaving light tiny kisses before fully wrapping his mouth over clit.

" _Oh, god,"_ but before she can feel herself coming undone, he's pulling himself off of her and sliding up her body.

"Do you want to get interrupted?" He playfully scolds, laughing at her own inability to stay quiet as a surge of pride rushes through him that makes his dick twitch.

"It's not my fault," she scolds through a sex induced haze.

"Hmm, well I'm going to have to change courses here," Harvey muses. Before she can ask what the hell he's talking about, his lips are crashing over hers and she's doubling back at her own taste. His right hand trails down her chest and stomach until he reaches her aching center, where he slides two calloused fingers into her with ease. He grins into her mouth when she makes her best efforts to let out a groan, the sound now muffled by his own lips against her.

He parts just long enough to watch her eyes fluttering against every slide and curl into her. Her lower lip is caught between her teeth as she expels short breaths, each one keeping a rhythm with every rock of his fingers inside her, coaxing her closer to the edge.

" _Harvey,"_ she whines, beginning to clench around him. He gets the hint and he begins a lazy massage on her clit, rubbing the bundle of nerves in between every gentle twitch of his fingers, working her over until she's seizing against his hand, clutching his bicep when the first waves of her orgasm rattle through her.

"I got you," he reassures sweetly, swallowing the rest of her moans with a deep kiss that makes her toes curl. He waits until her body relaxes beneath him to part from her, watching her contorted face ease into that of a lazy smile. He extracts his hand slowly, inching it up her body to rest on her hip. "You good?"

Donna heckles out a light chuckle, "More than."

His grin matches her own before he's leaning down to kiss her, her taste still lingering on his tongue. Before he can realize what's happening, she's flipping them over until she's straddling his waist, hovering over him in all her naked glory. Sending him a wicked grin, she's deftly undoing his pants, sliding the material off of him before doing the same to his boxers.

"Donna," he breaths, her name a warning when she wraps her hand around his erection.

Her tongue sneaks out to wet her lips at the mere sight of him standing to attention, watching in slight amusement as he swallows against her teasing strokes, "Later," she promises him with a voice of a siren, calling him out to concede to her every need. With her eyes trained on him, she inches her way down his length, a low sigh escaping her once he was fully sheathed. His hands automatically find residence on her waist, gently caressing her sweat-soaked skin. He grits his teeth when he feels her walls clenching around him, and he immediately knows neither are going to last very long.

He holds her steady against him, their hips kissing and gazes holding, and he doesn't know how he doesn't crumble then and there. His heart drums against his chest, hands marking her hip bone as he holds onto the moment that's now melting with their very first time. _She feels like home and comfort and everything that's been missing from his life for thirteen goddamn years._

With a shaky breath, Donna places her hands on his chest to steady herself, sliding off of him only to slam back down. She begins a slow ride over him, rocking her hips in between sighs and low moans- a strike contrast to her earlier loose inhibitions. He watches her through half hooded eyes, that familiar tightness recoiling in the pit of his stomach every time her breasts sway, her movements soon becoming erratic and he's helping her along by meeting her thrust for thrust. He's pulling her down, moving her hair out of the way to slant his lips over hers, immediately swallowing the throaty moan that moves up her chest.

"God, I love you," he breathes against her, a blinding of outpour so akin pure euphoria at the realization he can let those words slip without a second thought. The words alone make her eyes screw shut, her hips swaying against him and she's whimpering out a low _"Harvey,"_ that makes him quicken the pace. Making sure to have a firm hold on her again, he's flipping her over, hitching her left leg up and driving into her with renewed vigor. Soon enough, her sighs are turning into groans and he has to cover her mouth before they get too loud. Her eyes water at the overwhelming pressure that builds up in her abdomen and she's wrapping her legs around him, making him plunge deeper into her, when his forehead lands on hers. Their mangled breaths become irregular, his hand still covering her mouth as she continues to expel a string of stifled groans and whimpers.

It's not long before she her nails meet his back, digging into his skin and making him hitch against hers, the force alone making him drive further into her. It's only then that her back bends and she's coming on a strangled cry, tears trickling from the corner of her eyes. The sight of her alone makes his thrusts quicken and it only takes a few seconds before he's following suit, spilling into her with a guttural groan and her name on his lips.

"Shit," Harvey exhales, collapsing on top her lithe body as he releases his hold on her mouth. Being careful of not to crush her, he slides out of her and flops over on his back next to her, their bodies covered in a fine sheathe of sweat. It takes them a moment to calm their breathing, both of their gazes trained on the ceiling above them, trying to see past the fogginess their post-orgasmic bliss has placed.

He turns toward her after a beat, watching the rise and fall of her chest and still agape mouth. "Hey," he uses his pinky to softly caress her hand, waiting for her gaze to meet his. He watches her body turning toward him, eyes glossy and suddenly he's curled against her warmth, concern written all over his face, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Donna shakes her head, willing her breathing to even before she speaks, "Nothing."

" _Nothing?"_ He reaches out to wipe a tear that spills from the corner of her eye.

"No, it's just," she sighs, curling closer into him, "I'm just- overwhelmed, is all," she gives him a reassuring smile, cupping her palm against his cheek.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, it was just… a long time coming."

Harvey nods, understanding seeping into him. His arm snakes around to pull her closer to him, placing a kiss on her forehead, "Only took us over a decade," he mumbles, a low guilt settling in him.

Donna chuckles, "Twelve years to be exact."

He hums against her, taking her hand to place a gentle kiss against her knuckles, "Give or take."

"It was worth the wait, though," she whispers. Her eyes meet his in the dark and he wordlessly brings their lips together for a kiss. He feels his own eyes prickling with tears at her words, bringing about a flash of dream sequences from some months back. "I love you," she tells him once they part, nose nuzzling his.

"I love you too," he echoes easily, effortlessly, following her own lazy smile before his lips meet hers again. Donna turns around, settling her bare back against his chest. She feels his arms encircling her, holding her to him in a gentle hold as his head met the crook of her neck. "You know, I just realized something," Harvey speaks after a beat.

"That you're an extreme cuddler?" She muses into the dark, her soul humming in a pleasant post-sex buzz.

Harvey chuckles, the noise reverberating against her back as he leaves a kiss to her exposed neck, "No," he teases, and without looking he can still tell he's grinning against him, "It's finally Christmas."

She stays quiet for a few seconds, and he momentarily thinks she fell asleep before she's twisting her head in his direction, leaving a lingering kiss on his jaw, "Merry, Christmas Harvey." His lips find hers and he's echoing the words at her before she's turning around again, their legs tangling as her hand lands on one of his own, covering her chest, right below where her pendant lay. He waits until her breathing evens before he settles against her, breathing her in with a smile on his lips as their recent events flash through his mind. Only then does he let himself succumb to sleep.

…

He wakes to the motion of the bed shifting and dipping next to him, little sighs and groans coaxing him out of a deep sleep.

"Donna?" He croaks out, his eyes fluttering against the still semi-darkened room until they settle on her form. A frown sets in his face when he sees her face contorted, shifting against him as if trying to get into a comfortable position. "Hey, you feeling okay?"

"Ugh, I didn't mean to wake you, I'm sorry, go back to sleep," she sighs, shifting until her back meets the mattress. Her hand lands on his arm, attempting to soothe away his worries.

Harvey's lips remain dipped, "No, don't worry about it, what's wrong?"

She resigns to his concern with a sigh, "My back hurts."

"Your back?" At her nod, he's immediately shifting to sit up, "Do you want a massage?"

" _You_ give massages?"

"Well, I've never really _tried,_ on anyone before, but I can try now," he shrugs. The suggestion had come as a reflex, seeing her look of discomfort had made his heart twist and he almost laughs at his desperate need to comfort her at all times.

"Okay," she relents after a beat, eyes gleaming with curiosity and slight amusement, "But you if you make it worse, you're not getting any of this for a week," she motions to her body, making him cock his head at her.

"Ye of little faith," he sighs dramatically, waiting for her to settle on her stomach before he straddles her back, knees firmly against the mattress just above the posterior of her legs.

"Then move those magic fingers of yours and shut up already," she muffles into the pillow.

Harvey chuckles, placing his mouth to her scapula, "So bossy," he breathes, moving her hair to the side to fully expose her back. He begins to move his hands over her, being careful not to put too much pressure over her shoulder, trying to capture her response to each gentle press. "This good so far?" She merely hums, and he continues to massage her until he reaches her lower back, where she hisses out in pain when he presses just a little too hard. "That bad?" He frowns.

"No, I just think I might've pulled something. Thanks to you," she mumbles.

"Hey, you're the one who flipped me first, remember?" He moves his fingers over the area slowly but firmly, trying not to press too hard against her flinches.

"That's beside the point," she defends, letting out a low moan when he's able to work the knots in her back, easing the pain away slowly.

He swallows with the moans she expels against his every touch, willing himself to concentrate as he continues to massage her, "When was the last time you got a massage? You're feeling tense."

"Yeah, well, a weekend getaway with my boss and his family will do that to a girl," she sighs, her toes curling as a sense of euphoria washes over her with every one of his touches.

Harvey snorts at her response, playfully slapping her ass cheek as he leans over to press his lips to her spine, "I love your sweet talk."

Her back vibrates from her chuckles, the noise turning into another low moan when his lips descend with each crevice of her vertebrae, "I think you… worked enough of those knots."

"Really? It doesn't hurt anymore?" He presses his fingers against her lower back again, testing out her reactions.

"No," Donna sighs, "I'm actually… getting another ache somewhere else now," she wiggles her ass against him and he heckles out a laugh.

"Jesus, woman, you're gonna kill me, you know that?" He moves to place a trail of open mouthed kisses against her back, nipping her skin lightly with every sigh that leaves her lips. His hands move up her legs, kneading her buttocks just enough to coax another low moan out of her, her legs parting in the process.

"Harvey," she mewls, her eyes screwed shut as she grinds against the mattress, needing to find some kind of relief already.

"Hmm, you called?" He cajoles, snaking out his tongue to trace the constellation of freckles that line her skin.

"I need…"

"You need what?" He urges, continuing a slow torture over her back, his lips descending until he reaches her lower back, pausing to look up at her bare behind.

"If I have to tell you, then you don't deserve to get it," she snarls.

Joy bubbles up through him then, her words barely fazing him as he lines her back with kisses again, the fact that he could freely do so now, be with her in every way possible, diluting every near empty threat she expelled. "I just like hearing you say it," he sighs, moving to settle behind her as he pulls her against his chest. He places his hand on her waist, kissing her cheek as his hardness presses against her, "This okay?"

"Yeah," she assures, bucking into him when he snakes a hand between her legs to test her readiness. He wordlessly takes himself into his hand, coaxing her legs apart until he's sliding in, stretching her walls slowly. Donna bites her lip to prevent herself from crying out, getting accustomed to his girth again.

Harvey hisses at her welcoming tightness, giving her time to adjust. Leaving a trail of kisses from her cheek to her jaw, he only beginning a gently thrust when she rolls her hips against him. Unlike before, their moves are slow and measured, taking the time to feel each other thoroughly. Harvey's fingers begin a caress up and her body, dancing along every dip and cress, lips now nipping every inch of her exposed back. "You feel amazing," he breathes, speeding up his thrusts just enough to make her breath hitch and gyrate against him.

Donna only whimpers in response, already knowing that her third release wasn't going to last long either. Feeling herself getting closer, she tilts her head back until his lips can descend over hers, and he's swallowing her groan when he pistons into her faster, hitting that spot inside her that makes her shudder against him.

She parts from him, waning out a breathy _"Harvey,"_ and he's immediately wedging his hand between her legs, finding her bundle of nerves as his lips suck on her clavicle. Her mouth opens on a low whine, and she finds herself snaking her hand over his, guiding his movements in the dark as the familiar build up edges her to her release.

"Come for me, Donna," he whispers, and his voice is enough to set her off, her body quivering against his as she relinquishes every last ounce of control. His name rolls off her tongue like a gentle prayer, driving his own release and he's bucking into her with a growl, his lips landing on her flesh, the act alone bringing forth her third orgasm.

He stills against her with heavy breaths, lips still grazing her skin. It's only then that a chuckle reverberates through her, the sound infectious and soon enough, they've both erupted into a fit of giggles.

"You're going to wake up the entire house, Paulsen," he scolds, but his tone is playful and breathy as he wills the laughter to stay at bay, but one good look at her and he's doubling over again, not even sure why.

"Well, you're not helping matters," she half-heartedly slaps his chest.

"You started it," he chides nipping at her shoulder, finding himself unable to stop kissing every inch of her exposed skin.

"What, are you five?"

"If I am, then you are too, _chuckles_ ," he pokes her waist and she heckles out a loud laugh, not giving him another choice but to cover her mouth with his hand again. Before he could berate her, she's licking his hand, prompting him to pull away with a scowl, "Very mature."

"This time that was all _you,"_ she accuses with a finger pointed in his direction, eyes gleaming with unbridled humor.

"What the hell were you giggling about, anyway?" His arm reaches forward, luring her toward him so his hand could land on her back, beginning a slow up and down trail.

Donna shrugs, a lazy smile on her face, "I don't know, I'm a little delirious right now."

"Oh, yeah?"

She nods, inching her way closer, leaning against his hand that now cupped her cheek. "Couple orgasms would do that to you, I guess."

Harvey chuckles, the sound light and free, and he notices her own lips twitching at the gentle noise, "You're welcome, then."

Donna snorts out a laugh against him, "Wow, someone's _cocky."_

"Don't I have every right to be?"

Her eyes flutter open, head lifting until she could meet his gaze, "I plead the fifth."

"We're not in court."

"Doesn't matter."

"Says who?"

"Says your girlfriend."

Harvey opens his mouth to retort, when her words make him halt, _"Girlfriend?"_

"Girlfriend. Lady friend. Partner. Take your pick," she yawns, exhaustion melting her against him.

Harvey quiets for a moment, his hand stilling as he lets her words sink in.

 _Donna. Girlfriend._

His cheeks stretch into a full grin, bringing his smile to meet her temple. He settles closer to her, noticing the way her breathing evens, and he guesses she's fallen asleep, "All of the above," he whispers before closing his own eyes.

It's only after a beat that her voice meets his ears, her words thawing his heart completely, "Sounds good."

…

"Harvey," Donna whispers into his ear, trying to entice him out of his deep sleep. She presses a line of kisses from his cheek to his mandible, inching her way lower until she reaches his chest, "Oh, Harvey…" she sing-songs now, pressing her smile to every beauty mark that greets her. When her tongue snakes out run over every ridge of his abs, she's met with a throaty groan. Her cheeks widen, and she pauses her oral movements to rake her nails over his prominent muscles, watching how his mouth opens in his sleep.

"Come on, Harvey, wakey wakey," she suppresses a giggle when he smacks his lips, still half dead to the world. "Okay," Donna sighs, crawling her way down his body until she was at eye level with his length, already hardening, "At least _someone's_ awake," she croons, subconsciously licking her lips as she takes him into her hand, starting a gently stroke.

" _Mmm, Donna…"_ a lazy smile greets her from her vantage point, and she lets her own lips widen when she hears him calling her name, still asleep, and an electrical current shoots through her at the notion that he was probably dreaming about her. She'd woken up just a few minutes before, his hardness pressing into her- awakening her own sense of desire that pooled low in her stomach.

Her lips descend to his inner thigh, nipping the skin around his erection, each touch greeting her with another set of low groans. The first crack of dawn filtering into the room allows her to see his still limp form, completely conked out against the pillows. _I really must've tired him out,_ she mentally pats herself on the back, resuming her ministrations on him. She takes turns licking the area around him, placing open mouthed kisses from the apex of his thighs to his pubic bone, where her teeth dig in for a gentle bite.

"Donna? Oh, shit…" Her lips curl at his voice alone, not needing to look up to know he was staring down at her with half hooded eyes. She feels him twitching in her hand then, and she looks up under her batting eyelashes, flashing him a doe-eyed look.

"Oh, good morning, sleeping beauty."

"Donna, what… what are you doing?" He manages to gasp out, his hands gripping the white cotton beneath his fingertips.

Donna snorts, "I'm knitting, what does it look like I'm doing?"

A low growl escapes him when she dips her head again, continuing to playfully nip at his skin, swirling her tongue every once in a while.

"You're-" he swallows back a whimper when she leaves the tiniest of kisses on the base of his shaft, "You know you don't… _shit…_ have to-"

"Oh, _I know,"_ she scoffs out a laugh, pulling back up to resume a torturous up and down stroke on him, "but I told you I'd take care of this _later,_ and I never back down from a promise." Keeping her eyes locked on his, she brings out her tongue to lick the head, and suddenly he's bowing back, exposing his Adam's apple as her hot breath meets his heated flesh.

" _Fuck."_

"Cock-a-doodle-doo doo, Harvey," she smirks, finally wrapping her mouth around him. His knuckles turn white at the visceral grip on the sheets below him, teeth gritting in some lame attempt to subdue the moans that try to escape. "Quiet, Harvey," her quiet mock elicits his own set of low curses and he lifts his head in time to watch her tongue stroking past every vein before engulfing him in her hot mouth again.

His eyes flutter closed at the warm suction she provides, her tongue trapped on the underside of him with every upstroke before lightly sucking on the head, licking the pre-cum off of him with a gentle hum.

"Shit, Donna," Harvey exhales, biting his lip when she reaches down to play with his testicles, testing the weight of him, and he nearly comes undone when he realizes she's got him in the literal palm of her hand.

"Relax," she coos, taking him into her mouth again, her hand sneaking up to run lazy strokes over the base. He heaves out a sigh, seemingly trying to fall under her demands with every one of her ministrations. Her copper manes block his view when she takes him further into her mouth, and he's immediately gathering her hair into his hand, simply using it to watch her every oral caress. His breathing grows erratic when she bobs her head over him, the vibrations of her hum making his stomach clench.

"Donna," he grits out, mustering up all his strength when he feels himself on the brink of release. She seems to ignore him, utilizing her supple tongue to run an endless trail over him, her fingers tracing the underside of him and he thinks she may be writing little x's and o's with each flick of the tongue. "Donna, babe, _please."_

If it weren't for her own need she would've continued, but the ache between her legs is enough to let him slide out, her lips departing from him with a quiet _pop, "Babe?"_ She chuckles.

"What? It just slipped out," He shrugs as best he could against the rapid fall and rise of his chest. She begins to crawl up his body, peppering small kisses along the way.

"Hmm, I like it."

"Yeah?" He breathes, watching her head lifting to hover over his.

"Yeah, it's kinda hot."

His hand reaches up to the back of her mussed hair, bringing her down to crash his lips against her smug grin. He swallows her moan in the next second, gently flipping them over as he sucks her tongue into his mouth, groaning when he tastes himself. "You're… incredible… you know that?" He compliments between kisses, trailing his lips down her jaw to reside in what he's now decided to be his favorite place. He nibbles at the now reddening area of her neck, sucking against each golden speckle of sun kissed skin he meets. He uses his leg to part hers, and she takes the cue like a pro, wrapping her long limbs around him, causing his erection to rub against her center.

" _Harvey…"_ Her eyes fight to remain open, the plea of his name rolls off her tongue habitually and it only snaps his last resolve.

He eases his lips up to meet hers again, pausing just long enough to find her hand in the dim light to lace his fingers through hers. She grips his hand in hers, and he's sinking into her with a breathy _"I love you",_ the room drowning with their mutual groans. He stills against her for a mere second, letting enough time go by for her breathing to settle before he begins a gentle thrust. He manages to find her eyes in the low light, the sun still barely peeking through the blinds, and he almost loses it at the sight of her open mouth, gasping against every slide.

Having already been on edge, he feels the familiar coiling in his stomach tightening, and he grits his teeth as a wayward attempt to prolong this for her. But when he feels her walls clenching around him, gentle whimpers leaving her with every thrust and breath, he realizes she was getting off on pleasuring him as much as he was in watching her do so. Reaching down, he hitches her leg an inch higher, allowing him to plunge deeper into her, hitting that spot inside he had reacquainted to recently. With their continued mingled breaths, he fights against the urge to shut his eyes, needing to watch her hitting her peak. It's only after two more thrusts does her body seize, back bending in a perfect arch as she comes with a low cry.

His name falling from her lips is enough to set him off, and the last thought that comes to him before he's emptying into her is _how the hell did they ever wait this long._ He lands on top of her with a grunt, his open mouth landing on her sweat-soaked chest. Fingers still laced together, he slides out of her slowly, watching as her body deflates, all but melting into the mattress below them. With a deep sigh, he eases off of her, immediately missing her warmth and pulling her back to his chest. His lips meet her shoulder once he settles against her, sleep welcoming them both in a gentle lure as their hearts synchronize into a steady rhythm.

…

 **AN: Love to hear your thoughts xo**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Once again, I'm so overwhelmed by all the responses I've been getting for this story. It's with a heavy heart that I say this is the last chapter. There will, however, be an epilogue that will come after this one, so stay tuned for that. Thanks again to every person who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. Your support means the world and I hope you enjoy. -ali**

…

Harvey's eyes flutter open, painstakingly fighting against the first signs of dawn that filtered into the room. When he manages to focus his vision, the first thing he sees is red. His lips twitch at the unmistakable tangled manes that covered part of the pillow they shared, and he soon realizes that the warmth that radiates from her bare form- still pressed against him- is what nudged him out of his dreams. The fact that they had seeped into reality hits him in full and the heaviness of exhaustion that weighed him down was replaced by a lightness in his chest. It's then that he catches a faraway look in her already wide-awake eyes, her hand playing with the silver pendant on her neck.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He whispers, pressing a kiss to a set of freckles on her shoulder blade.

Her lips curl at his morning voice, and she tilts her head to face him in the morning light, "'morning."

He meets her in a gentle kiss, his grin pressing against hers with a sigh of content. "You okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You looked a bit preoccupied," he murmurs, fingers lightly tracing the goosebumps on her arm.

"Just thinking," she sighs, kissing his chest before turning back toward her earlier position.

"About us?"

Donna grins, a low laugh escaping her, "Presumptuous, but as a matter of fact, yes."

Harvey hums in response, watching as her fingers trace over the numbers engraved on the pendant, moving the silver on the chain in an almost subconscious manner. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Donna reassures almost immediately, her hand covering his own. She feels a touch of guilt then, not having meant to set his mind wandering to that place of fear and doubt so early the morning after their second first time. "I was just…" she turns to face him again, "Are you going to tell your family?"

His forehead knits at her words, "Tell my family what?"

"That we… well, that we weren't an 'us' before, but now we are."

 _Oh._

He tries to settle his heart, because while he knows he shouldn't scratch beneath the surface of her words, all he can focus on is her ' _but now we are'._ Harvey pulls her closer toward him, gently guiding her until she faced him in full. "We were always an _us,_ Donna."

Her eyes flutter with a gentle wave of euphoria, lips twitching out of her own volition _because who knew Harvey Specter could be such a sap._ "I know that," she whispers, lightly raking her nails over his toned chest, "But you know what I mean."

Harvey chuckles, leaning to press a kiss to her forehead _just because he could._ "Well, then to answer your question… I don't know, I don't think so."

"Why not?" She muses, and she knows she wasn't bothered by it either way, but for some reason the notion of it kept taking her out of a deep slumber, and she couldn't put the thought to rest.

Harvey shrugs, "Because like I told you, I was never pretending. The only pretense I was under was my own," when she gives him a quizzical look he elaborates, "I was kidding myself thinking that what we were doing, what we were saying, was all for show. I'm not above admitting I was in denial, Donna, but that doesn't mean I wasn't feeling anything, I just pretended _not_ to by pretending to, which wasn't even really pretending…" his voice trails off as his own words start to baffle him, throwing him off course.

"Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah, a bit."

They share a light chuckle, and Harvey tries to shake off the residual sleep off his mind. " _My point is_ … I don't think we should admit to anything, because we're… together now. There's nothing else to admit other than I was damn idiot for taking this long to realize."

"You weren't an idiot," Donna's quick to defend, "I mean, you _can_ be an idiot sometimes," she smirks at his pointed look, "but you weren't the only one playing the denial game, Harvey."

"So, I guess we're just both to blame for taking too damn long," he playfully reasons.

"I think it's just safe to say our mutual stubbornness and fear definitely played a role… but we're here now."

"Yeah, we are," he whispers, eyes gleaming with that effervescent joy that has yet to fizzle, and he doubts it ever would. He captures her lips in the next second, sighing into the way she molds against him like a puzzle piece.

"And speaking of… here… and now…" Donna hums between kisses, finding herself unable to part from his magnet pull, "I still have to give you my present."

"I thought I already unwrapped my gift," Harvey gloats with a self-satisfied smirk.

She rolls her eyes, untangling herself from his hold, "Consider this a bonus, then."

He sits up as soon as her legs swing over the bed, eyes hungry as they follow her naked form- gleaming in an afterglow that's illuminated further by the light that peeked through the curtains. She picks up his discarded sweater off the floor, placing it over herself before she digs through her suitcase to find a pair of underwear and sweatpants.

"I didn't know gift-giving required full coverage."

Donna snorts out a laugh at his pout and she resists the urge to walk over and kiss it off, "I'm cold."

"So, come back to bed," he reasons, eyebrows wiggling comically which elicit a chuckle from her.

"You're shameless, you know that?" She reaches down to grab hold of his boxers, throwing it in his direction and laughing when it hits him square in the face. "Put those on, I can't give you my present and have you on full display, it'll kill the mood."

"Killing the mood by _putting on_ clothes, there's a twist," he grumbles as he stands, sliding the material up.

"You know, the sooner you quit your grumpy old man act, the sooner we can get back to bed," she points out, placing her hands on his lower back when he walks to stand in front of her.

"No…" Harvey drawls out with a sigh, "by that time we'll be forced to go downstairs and exchange gifts with the rest of the looney Specter clan."

"Your family's sweet," she chuckles.

"They may be, but they've already interrupted too many moments between us this weekend," he reminds her, running his hands over her covered arms.

"So clingy," Donna chides, leaning up to peck his lips, "You'll have me all to yourself when we go home, Specter, chin up," she reaches behind him to smack his ass, grinning at the way his mouth drops.

Donna moves to walk away, but his hand is reaching out, taking hold of her wrist to reel her back into his arms, "You look good in my sweater, you know?" He husks against her, his breath making her hair stand on end on every inch of her body. She finds herself biting her lip at the way the electric current of his hold lights her skin on fire.

"You know you're just stalling the inevitable, right?" She quips back just as quietly. He finally lets her go with relenting sigh, watching as she opens the door to the walk-in closet that sat opposite the bed.

Harvey frowns as she disappears through it, "My present was hidden here the whole time?"

"Harvey, get that cute little butt in here, I'm not walking out with it," she calls out to him instead. He shakes his head at her words, amusement starting to mix in with the confusion and intrigue that was stirring up inside. He moves his feet then, taking the few steps to meet her inside the closet.

"Why the hell do you need me to-" He stops dead in his tracks as soon as his eyes land on the object, leaning against the wall just to the right of where Donna stood. He feels his throat closing, the sharp sensation soon being rivaled by the stinging that meets his eyes. "Is that-"

Donna nods, her voice low when she speaks, "It is."

Harvey swallows thickly, the colors he tries to register distorting through his ever-growing clouded vision. "How did you-"

She takes a small step toward him, feeling her own emotions rising to the surface at his mere reaction. "Took me a while to track it down, I actually started to look for it sometime after Stemple took it. Turns out he sold it, so it was a little more difficult to find, even for your girlfriend," she finishes quietly, kissing his bare shoulder.

She feels his hand blindly finding hers, and her fingers are immediately lacing through his, watching his eyes glistening under the low light, "Donna…" She waits until his gaze meets her own and it takes everything in her in that moment to not let her own tears fall.

"I know your mom gave you the one you have now, but… I don't know, I couldn't _not_ try to get the original back. I know how much it means to you."

He turns to fully face her and before she could register what's happening, his lips are slanting over her own, arms encapsulating her in a tight hold that has her leaning up to meet him. Donna groans into the kiss, still finding herself growing light-headed at his mere touch. Her hands find their way to his chest, crawling up to rest just under his jaw, holding him in place as he deepens their kiss.

" _You_ mean everything," Harvey breathes once he parts from her, his forehead landing on her own. His jaw clenches in a futile attempt to keep his emotions in check, the notion of what she did for him hitting him in continuous waves.

Donna smiles, the warmth and happiness radiating in her chest rising up far enough to reach her lips, "So, you like your present?"

A full watery chuckle escapes him, "You can say that," he says quietly, studying her eyes in the small space, "How the hell did you even track it down?"

"I'm Donna," she tells him simply, a half shrug accompanying her words.

"Amazing, is what you are," he leans down to kiss nose, laughing when she scrunches it up. "Seriously, how did you track it down? And then get it here? And hide it in the closet without me knowing?"

Donna shakes her head, smoothing out her hands over his bare chest, "A magician never reveals her secrets," she tells him with an overdramatic flair. When he gives her a pointed look she rolls her eyes, "It's a long story, but I got it back a few weeks ago, I was just waiting to give it to you for Christmas. Then, when you invited me a long for this little shindig…" she trails her index finger down his abs, watching the muscles rippling under her touch, "I called your brother and had it shipped here. He had it in his room all this time, I only moved it to the closet last night when we were in the middle of the presents frenzy."

"I- I don't know what to say," her boyfriend chokes out, awe written all over his face.

"You don't have to say anything, Harvey," she reassures with a smile, cupping his cheeks, "I'm just glad I was able to bring it back to you."

He brings both of her hands to his lips, his eyes trained on her as he kisses them, "I love you so much."

Donna mentally curses the tears that spring to her eyes at his admission. It didn't matter how many times she heard him speak those three little words, they still ignited her heart like a wildfire. "I love you too," she sighs before bringing his face down for another kiss. She let their lips linger for a short while only, knowing if they continued their dance, they'd completely miss Christmas morning with his family. "So… you got any idea where you'll be putting up this baby?"

Harvey grins, his mind already venturing off on its own, providing him with images of his mother's painting being placed over a mantle in a home he currently didn't own- in a home he only envisioned sharing with _her._ "Well," he clears his throat, tampering down the temptation to voice his thoughts, "I guess it'll do in my apartment… for now, seeing as I have the other in my office."

Donna nods in response, her head tilting at the semi-faraway look in his eyes. Her lips quirk up at his pensive look, seamlessly being able to read his mind, "For now, huh?"

"Yeah," he whispers, his own set of pearly whites showing, "for now. Maybe you can help me put it up?"

"Hmm, I think that's feasible," her lips land on the corner of his mouth, kissing the dimple off his Cheshire Cat grin.

" _Uncle Harvey, aunt Donna, Santa came!"_

The pair inside turn their heads to the door of their room, watching on in amusement as Hailey's voice echoes through, followed by a set of small yet loud knocks.

"You think if we stay completely still she'll go away?" Harvey whispers, only half joking his suggestion.

" _Dad won't let us open any presents until_ _ **everyone**_ _is downstairs,"_ comes Jack's own impatient grumble.

Donna rolls her eyes, "Come on, you horny tiger, we're being summoned." She grabs hold of his hand to lead him out of the closet, a giggle escaping her when he winds his arms around her, nuzzling his five o'clock shadow on her neck as he follows her out.

"Hey, we've got over a decade's worth of making up to do," he murmurs into her skin, the vibrations sending a chill down her spine, "Don't blame me if I just want to stay indoors all day, making love to my beautiful girlfriend."

Donna chuckles against him, hoping it would mask the shiver she feels reverberating through her, "Making love huh?" She turns in his arms to send him a quirked eyebrow.

"What else would you call it?"

"Hmm, frolicking sounds a bit too raunchy, doesn't it?"

Harvey shakes his head, landing another kiss to her cheek before he reluctantly parts from her. He turns to the door then, raising his voice just loud enough against the continued knocks, "Hey guys, we'll be right down, and tell your father I said he's set a pretty dumb rule to wait for everyone."

He feels Donna lightly smacking his chest at the same time he hears twin giggles right outside the door, the sound carrying them down the hallway. "What the hell was that for?"

Donna purses her lips, trying to render in the smile that threatens to spill, _"Shameless."_

Harvey raises his arms, watching in amusement as she rummages through his own suitcase, "You know that's mine, right?"

She raises a challenging eyebrow at him, throwing a pair of pants and sweater his way, "Gear up, Specter. As much as I like my current view, I'm not willing to share with anyone else."

A smirk pulls at his lips, and he resists yet another urge to pin her to the nearest surface. Instead, he lets her venture off into the bathroom, his eyes trained on her until she disappears into the smaller space. He heaves out a sigh then, starting to dress himself for the day ahead. And as he finishes smoothing out the clothes she had picked out for him, his gaze navigating to the closet where his mother's painting sat, he wonders how the hell he thought they could ever go back to how they were.

…

"You sure you got everything?"

"Yes, mom," Harvey chuckles, closing the trunk of his car before walking over to his mother and Donna, half amused at her less-than-subtle attempt to stall his departure. After having Christmas brunch, they had bid their goodbyes to the rest of the family, Marcus having been summoned by his kids to help them build one of their new toys. Harvey had teased him, coughing out a _"whipped"_ before his little brother countered with a _"just wait until it's your turn",_ effectively shutting up the older Specter.

"You know, it's such a shame that you two can't stay for the remainder of the day, it _is_ still Christmas," Lily gives a forlorn sigh, hugging her trench coat closer to herself.

"We've got an early workday tomorrow, mom," he reminds her softly, a wave of unexpected guilt washing over him then for not having taken an extra day off.

"You work too much, you should take more time off to spend with your family," the older woman lightly scolds.

"That's what I keep telling him," Donna sighs dramatically, giving Harvey a side glare that was diluted by her quirked lips, "but I'll try to twist his arm a bit, convince him to come up here again for New Years," she adds with a gentle shoulder bump.

Lily's face lights up, "Oh, that would be wonderful!"

"And does _Harvey_ get any say in this _?"_ He playfully retorts. Both women let out twin laughs, shaking their heads.

"Face it son, I can already tell it doesn't take much hand twisting for you to give into whatever this one wants."

"Hmm, it goes both ways," Donna shares a quick look with Harvey, knowing her words also lead his mind to a week in the past, when she had reluctantly, but inevitably agreed to accompany him on the weekend's trip.

"Oh, just wait until you two have a child, that little one will be wrapped around your little fingers," Lily gushes, clasping her hands together at the thought alone.

"Okay, seriously, what's with this family and all the kid fever?" He mumbles, finding himself shifting on the spot, avoiding eye contact with the redhead next to him.

Lily chuckles, "You're the only one left with no kids, Harvey. But I'm sure all of that will change in due time," she winks at Donna who was now gaping at the older woman, still not used to her bluntness, "but not _too_ much time," she adds for good measure.

"Okay, I think it's time we go," Harvey announces in the next second, already feeling his cheeks turning a crimson shade that had nothing to do with the cold air around them.

"Is he always this evasive?" Lily turns to Donna, giving her a hug goodbye.

"Only when he doesn't want to talk about something that makes him uncomfortable," Donna replies with raised eyebrows, making the older woman laugh.

"You continue to keep him on his toes, then."

"I will," Donna confirms softly, her smile letting Lily know she knew her words held more weight to them.

"As for you," Lily turns to Harvey, waiting until Donna took a step back to continue, "don't wait too long."

Harvey furrows his brow, accepting the hug she gives him, "To ask her to marry you," she whispers into his ear. Harvey merely swallows back, the words caught in his throat, "I love you, Harvey."

"I love you too, mom," and with a gentle smile, he's leaning to give her a final hug, kissing her cheek before pulling back. He turns to Donna then, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before opening the door for her. He walks over to the driver's side, waving to his mother one final time before stepping behind the wheel.

"So…" Donna starts once Harvey puts the car in drive, merging into the street, "what did she tell you?"

"Hmm?"

"Your mom, she told you something before we left," Donna presses gently, watching as his brows knit before relaxing, his confusion turning into something akin to light panic.

"Oh, that," Harvey grips the steering wheel tighter, "She was just uh, she was just telling me how she can't wait for us to come up for New Year's," he sends her a tight-lipped smile.

"Uh huh," she chews on her bottom lip, eyes narrowing in amusement at the way he tries to hide his squirming, "You know I know you're lying, right?"

Harvey sighs, "Donna,"

"What?" She prods innocently.

"I think you… know what she told me," he murmurs, sending her the quickest of glances before focusing on the road again.

Her head bows in the next second, feeling her own cheeks warming, "I have a guess."

"So, right now, you're just trying to make me more uncomfortable than I already am?"

She chuckles lightly, "A little, yeah."

Harvey shakes his head, his own lips turning, "One day into this relationship and you're already being mean."

"According to you, we were already in a relationship," she quips back.

"A _romantic_ one, I mean."

The comeback she had to go dies on the tip of her tongue, his words returning the swarm of butterflies to reside in her stomach. They share a shy smile then, both still overcome with the new status of their relationship, an almost foreign giddiness making every cell in their bodies burst with unsaturated joy.

"She's right, you know," Donna speaks after a few moments of silence, her voice low.

"About what?"

She reaches for the hand he let slide off the wheel, his fingers automatically lacing with her hold, "Don't wait too long." His eyes remain on the road, the ever-slight twitch of his lips and the gentle squeeze of his hand on hers being the only indication that he heard.

…

"Donna, can you come in here for a second?" His voice echoes through the intercom, watching through the glass as she struts into his office.

"You rang?" She drawls out, crimson tinted lips widening as she stands before him, her hands folded in front of her emerald dress.

"Where did you put the files for the Greyson case?"

Donna frowns, mentally chastising herself for thinking he'd called her in for another reason. Still, she masks the disappointment with genuine confusion, "I thought I placed those on your desk. In fact, I _know_ I placed them on the top right corner of your desk, beside your morning coffee."

She walks over to him, brows furrowed as she surveys the surface of his work area. Harvey swivels around in his chair, watching as she flips over every other paper in front of him, "Well, it's not here," he huffs.

"I swear I put it here," she mutters, her form leaning over his desk, giving him a perfect view of her near plunging neckline. "You sure you didn't take it and put it somewhere else?" When he doesn't answer her, she glances over to him, lips pursing when she sees where his eyes were directed to, "You know you could just take a polaroid picture, ogle them on your own time."

"Promise?" He smirks, his gaze finally meeting hers.

Donna turns to him, one hand leaning on the desk as the other rests on her hip, "You didn't lose those files, did you?"

"I- have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit."

"Donna… I really don't know where they are."

"Uh huh," she cocks an eyebrow at him, leaning forward in a flash, giving him an exclusive view of her cleavage as she lifts a pile of files from beneath his laptop, "Then what the hell are these?"

Harvey mock gapes at the files she takes out and throws on top of his desk, leaning back to send him a withering stare, "That… I have no idea how those got there."

"Take a guess."

"Elves?"

Donna snorts, "It's past Christmas, they're retired, and _you're,"_ she pokes his shoulder, "pathetic."

"I'm not-"

"Oh yes you are," she stands up straighter, "You called me in here, thinking you could get away with hiding those files just to get me to help you look, knowing full well I'd spent my time at your desk, _time_ I should spend at my own desk because unlike you, I have actual shit to do."

Harvey grins, unfazed by her scolding, "You _thought_ I had called you in here for something else, didn't you?" He rises from his chair, taking a step to reach her.

"What?" She doubles back.

"Just a while ago, when I called you in here, I saw the way your face dropped when I asked you about those files. _You_ missed me too," he points to her with a tone too smug.

Her mouth drops at his accusation, "I- that's not true."

"You missed me," Harvey nods.

Donna narrows her eyes, "We've been back at work for five hours now, that's pathetic."

"I agree, but hey, we can be pathetic together," he smirks, placing his hands on her hips.

" _Harvey…"_

"No one's around right now," he whispers, looking behind her to the otherwise empty bullpen outside of his office, "they're out to lunch."

"Lunch, there's an idea, maybe we should go out for some," she quickly turns away from his hold, but not before being reeled back in.

"Back to my place?" He husks against her.

Donna chuckles, hoping the vibrations would hide the sudden chills that crawled up her spine, "Not happening."

"Remind me again why I thought going back to work the Monday after Christmas was a good idea?"

"Because," she reaches up to gently smooth away his frown lines, "You couldn't wait for the weekend to end, remember?"

"That was before I knew what this weekend would entail," he gruffs and she laughs at his gentle pout.

"Well, maybe next year we take a week off," she suggests, starting to slip out of his hold again before he tugs her back in, "Harvey…"

"Just a kiss," he murmurs, eyes glancing from her lips to her wide eyes.

"Harvey, we're at _work,_ " she hisses, turning around on a reflex, almost expecting someone to catch them, "I thought we agreed-"

"I know what we agreed," he sighs, remembering their conversation from the day before. They had come to an agreement to keep their relationship low-key, not necessarily hiding it, but definitely not flaunting it, especially not while they were at the firm. "And it's just one."

Donna scoffs, "Yeah, that's how it starts. First, it's one, then it's two, and before you know it, we're in the file room having a q- _mmph!"_ His lips swallow the rest of her words, grinning against her. She freezes for a moment out of shock, before quickly melting into the kiss, a sigh leaving her as he tenderly nips at her lips.

"I hate you," she breathes out a chuckle once he pulls back.

"No, you don't," he grins.

"Oh, yeah? How can you be sure?"

He motions to her neck, "You're wearing it."

Her eyes drop, hand immediately reaching up to toy with the silver pendant, "Of course I am. My boyfriend gave it to me."

"Did he now?"

Donna nods, scrunching up her nose, "He's very clingy."

"I think he's trying to make up for lost time," he shrugs.

"Well, while I think it's sweet," she smooths out the invisible creases of his suit, "It's not necessary. We've got the rest of our lives for that."

"Promise?"

Donna grins, "I do," she leans over then, unable to resist pecking him on the lips, "Now, sit that pretty little butt of yours down," she slaps his ass, "You've got work to do."

She takes advantage of his dropped jaw to step back, giving him another smirk before walking toward the door.

"You think my butt is pretty?" Harvey calls out before she leaves.

"I think _all of you_ is pretty," she bats her eyelashes at him, watching as he sits down with a shit-eating grin. She walks out of his office, adding an extra sway to her hips before she sits down at her cubicle. Once the stuttering of her heart calms down, she opens up a file document on her computer, intending to start on her work when her intercom buzzes.

" _I think you're pretty too."_

…

 **AN: Thank you so much again! I just can't stress that enough. Remember, I'll be adding an epilogue hopefully soon. Also, I don't want to promise anything, but I'm also thinking about posting one shots from the time that takes place between this last chapter and the epilogue. No promises, but it's a definite possibility. As always, would love to hear your thoughts xoxox**


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